The Guardian Chronicles: Nirvana
by STLHero
Summary: FemNaru. AU. Rewrite of Nirvana. After her failed mission, Naruto hoped never to open herself up completely. It was just too bad that she didn't take into account who her classmates were.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** **This is a rewritten version of Nirvana. The plot will be similar to the original story except for a few changes to the plot or the interactions between certain characters. I also hope that the story will have a better consideration when addressing any mental health issue.**

* * *

"_That is a waste of a wonderful Quirk."_

Naruto slid her orange hoodie over her head as her neighbour marvelled over the Villain. She watched as the Villain wreaked havoc in the train station. The building cracked, sliding down till it crashed hard on the streets. The civilians gawked and whispered to each other, their eyes never straying from the Villain in front of them. There were a couple of girls in the front, cheering and giggling as a couple of heroes stopped the next block of broken building from crashing down on the ground.

Two years ago, a sight like this would have caused her to jump in glee and clapped her hands in excitement. A part of her felt the urge to do it but Naruto held herself back. It was already bad enough she was late for class, if she spent anymore time marvelling about these Quirks then that homeroom teacher was going to scold her so badly.

Still, she couldn't help but asked:

"What happened?"

Her neighbour had his eyes locked on the criminal. "He tried to steal someone's bag and went out of control when the police cornered him."

_That's all?_ Naruto glanced at her watch, eyebrows scrunched together as the watch revealed she had only twenty minutes to get to class on time. Was it really worth it? The man was going to be furious over the fact Naruto dared to bring a hoodie to school even though he told her not to do it. Besides, it wasn't like she made it a habit to be late every day and compared to some of her classmates, she was an angel.

"You can do it, Kamui!" The fangirls cheered as the wooden hero dashed through the water rope made by the other hero. He looked almost kind of cool, not as cool as her but Naruto would admit the suit was amazing. A quick glance to her side and Naruto was taken back by the sight of one of her classmates.

Green hair? Who did she know have green hair? Naruto would be a liar if she said that she knew all of her classmates. She made it a point not to socialize too much with them. They were nice people, don't get her wrong but Naruto could see they had a habit of discriminating one of her classmates because of his lack of Quirk.

Blue eyes widened when she realized who the bouncing classmate was.

"Your punishment is…"

The tense atmosphere changed to a comedic atmosphere as a giant blond-haired heroine smashed her leg onto the villain's chin. Silence reined throughout the street as both pedestrian and heroes tried to understand what just happened. Blue eyes just turned completely blank, not revealing to the world about the humour she found in this situation.

She did feel sorry that someone took away his spotlight.

"Gigantification, huh? She looks like she will be popular, and it is an amazing Quirk," Naruto blinked and robotically turned her head to her mumbling classmates. Blond eyebrows scrunched together as the boy jolted down a couple of notes. "But thinking about the damage to the city that will go hand in hand with that, its use might be limited."

Words began appearing out of her classmate's mouth as he continued to deeply analyse what just happened. The more and more Naruto heard, the larger her headache became. For a brief moment she contemplated about leaving her classmate to himself and just start heading back to their classroom.

It would be wrong of her not to remind him that they had a class to go to.

"Midoriya, snap out of it! We have to go to class." She waited for a minute to see if Midoriya made any indication that he heard her. He didn't even move his head. Naruto's eyebrows twitched but the girl held herself back. "Midoriya! Class!"

No movement.

She shook her head and snatched the book from Midoriya's hands. With his bright green eyes growing large, Izuku jumped up and flushed a light shade of red at the sight of her. She almost felt apologetic for her rude behaviour but Naruto didn't like being ignored. No one paid much attention to her when she was child, not when she carried a monster inside her stomach.

The only person that seemed to have paid any attention to her was Hinata-chan.

"Naruto-san, I didn't see you."

Naruto bobbed and tossed the book to her classmate. "I noticed. We need to start heading to class before Sensei becomes angry that his two prized students are late for school."

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, redness crept up from his neck to his cheeks. Naruto just blinked and almost wanted to ask him if he was starting to get sick. If Midoriya was actually sick then his mother probably wouldn't have forced him to come to school; maybe he was just some kind of weirdo.

She focused her attention on the notebook in his hands. The cover seemed to be worn down and the number 13 stood out to her as well as the large letters called _Hero Analysis For The Future._ Now, Naruto was not a genius when it came to books but she was observant. It was a side effect of being isolated as a child.

"How many weeks have you been working on that book?" Naruto swung her bag over her shoulder and stared out at the train station. He blinked and the girl turned her blank eyes at him.

"It took me two months to finish one notebook," Izuku admitted.

Naruto raised her eyebrows. "One notebook? How many notebooks do you have on these guys?"

"T-Thirteen."

She jerked her head at those words. Thirteen notebooks? If it took him just two months to finish one notebook then he must have spent two years and two months on making all those notebooks. It took a lot of enthusiasm to do something like that. The level of enthusiasm he had could almost rival the enthusiasm she had for pranking. God, the only time she would ever go to the same levels as him was when it came to jutsu.

Naruto used to have joy when it came to being a ninja but after what happened in Konoha, Naruto didn't have the same pride about her job. She furiously shook her head. _Think of the positive._ Japan was her new start. It was a new beginning for her, one she must never waste.

Even if her nightmares and the voices didn't let her forget.

"Why do you have so many notebooks?" Naruto asked as they crossed the street leading them to their middle school.

"I-It is going to sound stupid but I want to become a Hero." Izuku flinched and began to babble. "I know it sounds stupid for a Quirkless person like me to want to become a Hero…but I can't help it."

_My dream? My dream is to become Hokage so that everyone can stop disrespecting me and see me as somebody!_

Naruto furiously shook her head and focused all her energy on her classmate, pushing back the nostalgia memory that threatened to consume her. "I think you can become a Hero as long as you work your butt off. People might tell you that you are an idiot, might bring you down but you should ignore it. If you really want it so badly then you should be willing to do anything to get it."

She felt her smile wobbled but Naruto pushed through it. It was hypocritical of her to say those words to him. There was a time when she dreamt so badly of becoming Hokage. A ninja like her could never become a Hokage.

The council made sure that she could never accomplish her dreams. It was terrible that they forced her hand but Naruto didn't want Izuku to give up on his dreams. It would break his heart when he gave up on his dreams, all because no one was willing to look past his lack of a Quirk.

She would know just how heart-breaking it could be to give up on a dream.

* * *

Naruto slid into her seat, laid her head on the table and listened passively as her classmates chat to each other about their plans for the weekend. Blue eyes flickered to Bakugou, his lips pressed into a thin line when the boy glared at her. From the moment she came to this middle school, he always gave her those looks.

Sometimes it felt like he was looking at her very soul.

The homeroom door slid open and their homeroom teacher stepped in, carrying a huge stack of papers. Naruto lowered her hoodie, watching the teacher separate the stacks of papers into piles. Were those more forms for them to do? Or was it that piece of paper about their plans for their future school? The fact the old man kept glancing at her made her believe it was the latter.

It probably didn't help that his eyes flared with disappointment at the sight of her.

"Quit the ruckus and go back to your seats." Their teacher yelled, slamming his hands on the table. The chatter died down and the students straightened their backs, their eyes growing wide with excitement and weariness. "It has been two weeks since school started and most of you are still acting like little kids. It is time for all of you to start _thinking seriously_ about your future."

Naruto slid down her seat when the man focused his eyes on her as he stressed out the words _thinking seriously_. Okay it confirmed he read all the forms they gave him. This whole time she thought he was too busy drinking himself silly that he didn't actually care or read the forms they gave.

"I should hand all of you the career forms but I guess from your school selections that almost all of you want to be heroes," their teacher levitated the papers towards them. Naruto covered her ears as her classmates cheered at his words. Did these people not realize some people were sensitive to sound? She sighed. "Yes, yes, you all have wonderful Quirks! But using your powers at school is against the rules!"

_You say this every time but you never do anything about it._ Blue eyes stole a glance at her classmate. Midoriya didn't look bother about the fact everyone kept using their Quirks and when Naruto thought about it, she never saw him stare at these people with jealously or resentment. It really gave something for her to think about. Why didn't he ever resent them for showing off?

"Sensei! Don't lump us all in the same group," Naruto groaned as Bakugou leaned against his chair, not bothering to sound polite to their classmates. Sometimes she considered it a miracle that he had friends with the way he opened his mouth. "I'm not gonna be stuck at the bottom with the rest of these rejects."

_Five…_

_Four…_

_Three…_

_Two…_

_One…_

Roars of outrage burst out of her classmate's mouths.

"_That was uncalled for, Katsuki!"_

"_Yeah! Yeah!"_

Naruto just snorted, lips curled almost into a tiny smile at the level of confidence that her classmate had. It almost reminded her of the times when she shouted to the world that she was going to become Hokage. There was a time when she would say the exact same thing in the Academy, except Bakugou had the skill to back up his claims. Those muscles and the fact she caught him jogging near her workplace made it clear to her that he wasn't talking shit.

"Oh if I remember correctly, you want to go to Yuuei High, right Bakugou?"

Everyone became silent for just a few seconds before all hell break loose. Yells and screams of surprise echoed throughout the classroom with the only exception being Naruto. She could only knit her eyebrows. What was the big deal? It was just some fancy high school, wasn't it? She didn't see why they were making such a big fuss over it.

"It isn't just some high school, Uzumaki!"

Naruto jerked her head up and flushed a light shade of red when everyone turned their attention at her. Was this right time to laugh and pretend that she knew this? They would believe her bullshit, wouldn't they? Well judging from the looks given by both students and teacher, they probably wouldn't believe the crap forming inside of her mind.

"Yuuei High School was in the top 0.2% this year, you know!"

No, she didn't know that because Naruto had no plans of going to high school.

"Their acceptance rate is always really low, too!"

She could guess that from the values that they just gave her. Wow, people were right to call her sassy at times because her own thoughts were starting to sound sassy even to herself.

"It is the best high school for heroes," Midoriya spoke up. Naruto swirled her head at him, blond eyebrows knitted together at those words. Oh now that explained the reason for her classmates acting like this. Everyone in this class kept talking about becoming heroes, which sounds awesome in paper.

If anyone asked Naruto her opinion about the job, she would say that you didn't need to go to a school to learn it. They could just practise it every day by helping other people and putting someone else's needs over theirs. Wasn't that the definition of being a hero? Not that she had any experience when it came to the job.

She was a foreigner after all.

"Oh yeah, Midoriya wanted to go to Yuuei too, right?" Everybody whipped their heads at the green-haired boy; their eyes growing wide with shock. Izuku's response? He flinched and slid down under the table as if hoping it would be enough for everyone to stop looking at him.

If anything, it just made everyone laughed even harder.

"Why the hell are you laughing? Izuku can get into Yuuei High!" Naruto declared. She straightened her back as everyone swirled their head at her. Anger flared in her eyes and her classmates gulped. It was understandable why when she considered that this was probably the first time they saw her angry.

She never found a reason to be furious.

"He's Quirkless." Bakugou snarled at her. "There is no such thing as a Quirkless Hero, Whiskers! He won't ever become a damn Hero!"

_Is that really what you should say to your best friend?_ Naruto narrowed her blue eyes and chewed the inner corner of her cheek to stop herself from lashing out at him. Her hot temper was the reason she always get into trouble. Hinata always used to scold her for releasing her temper on someone. Sakura used to yell at her whenever she used to unleash it on Sasuke.

He deserved it.

Naruto stared hard at the older boy. "He might be Quirkless but he works hard and he is smart. I think he has a chance of entering Yuuei High! If you can get in then so can Izuku!"

"You are delusional if you think he can get in."

There was a storm of emotions inside of her. A part of her wanted to punch him for making that comment, not only because it hurt Midoriya's feelings. Those words reminded her of the Academy. Those words mocked her and her old dream of becoming Hokage.

They always tried to bring her down but Naruto would always push herself back up. If she gave up on a dream then she wasn't Naruto Uzumaki.

"Delusional? All of you are assholes for not believing in him!" Naruto yelled. "If he works his ass off and if someone just believes in him then he can do anything."

Everyone looked at her like she was an idiot but Naruto wasn't going to back down. She had seen the rewards of hard work, of having someone that believed in them. How many times did someone look down on her? Too many times for her to count. It hurt like hell for her friends and teammates to only see one side of her.

She was so much more than just the prankster.

It was just too bad that no one wanted to see that side of hers.

* * *

"You asked for me?" Naruto took a seat on the empty chair, eyebrows knitted together in confusion as the man pulled out the empty form. He raised his eyebrow at her, waiting for the answers that Naruto didn't want to provide.

"Why did you hand me an empty blank form when it comes to your future high school?" Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and forced herself to smile at him. It wouldn't be wrong for her to act dumb since she actually had no idea what to do with her future.

Doctors didn't seem to suit her and being an engineer sounded fun, but Naruto doubted she would have free license to be creative. A job as a writer was also good for her. Iruka-sensei used to say she had too much imagination for her own good…of course he was talking about her skill in the art of lying.

"Too many options."

Her homeroom teacher snorted at her response, not looking like he believed one bit about her bullshit. Her smile didn't waver one bit even though those judging eyes made her want to stop smiling. There was always something about those eyes that made her want to admit future.

"Really now?" She smiled sheepishly and her teacher sighed. "Uzumaki, why don't you start taking things seriously? You are a bright girl that clearly has a bright future ahead of herself. It will be a shame for you to decide just to continue working full time in a café."

_But what do I want to do?_ Naruto knitted her eyebrows together and stared out at the window. The bright blue skies and white clouds didn't reflect the confusion she felt. At the age of six, she decided she wanted to become a kunoichi. _I will become Hokage! I will be the strongest kunoichi this world has ever seen!_ She yelled out those words so everyone knew what she wanted to be.

How could she accomplish this dream now?

"I like our art classes but I can't see myself an artist," Naruto lied. "It is too artsy if you ask me; it doesn't have enough action. Doctors are cool and I respect them but I am just too hot-tempered for the job. So I have got no idea what to do."

Her teacher tilted his head, his eyes regarded her for a good couple of minutes. He nodded, looking as if he had one of those eureka moments that Naruto heard her classmates talked about. What could he have figure out from her words? Even for her standards, she sounded like an idiot.

God, had she always sounded like an idiot?

"Then what about becoming a Hero? Or a policewoman?" Her teacher suggested lightly. A small smile played on his lips and the sincerity shone through those eyes made her throat clogged up. A part of her was grateful for the sincerity but a huge part of her felt doubt about the man's kindness and need to make her choose a better future.

No one could be this nice without any reason.

"Think about it, Uzumaki." Their teacher took a deep breath. "You want adventure and I know you have a desire to help even the underdogs. Isn't that enough reason for you to become a hero? You will just be protecting more kids and people like Midoriya from cruel Villains. You might be busy with work but you make the time and effort to protect the weak. I think you have just as a good shot of getting into Yuuei as Bakugou…so think about it."

Naruto stared at her hands, clenching and unclenching it as her teacher slid the piece of paper to her. A hero? If she couldn't become Hokage and if she couldn't be a kunoichi, then it only made sense for her to be a hero.

She couldn't keep living in the past because that wasn't her.

Uzumaki Naruto was and will always be the girl that always looked forward to the future.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this new version.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N****: I want to thank everyone that added this new version to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the rewritten chapter.**

* * *

**Ten Months Later**

Laughter and chatter filled the small, bustling café and like the last two and half years, Naruto forced herself to smile and prepare herself for the battle ahead. With a tray of coffee, she glided and weaved through the tables, asking them if they wanted anything else from her. Smiles were directed at her and jokes were made like they were always made. And just like a clockwork, Naruto would make excuses whenever one of the male teens asked for her to sit with them.

_Today is going to be one of those days._

There were some days when Naruto could act like she was completely fine and be her old self. Days when she smiled and acted like a ball of sunshine as her boss would like to say whenever Naruto smiled. Days when Naruto could completely feel all of her emotions with so much strength, allowing her to make outbursts and not controlling her emotions. But there were some days when it was a daily struggle to smile, to pretend that everything was fine.

"Don't you have an exam to study for?" Her boss asked when Naruto came to the counter, ready to pick up the next tray of orders. Her boss was a slim young woman with light brown-hair and one of the few people that had warm hazel eyes. "Naruto, didn't I tell you to take the day off before your exam?"

Naruto looked away from the woman's searching eyes, hands reaching out to take the tray of food. There was no reason for her to take the day off for something as trivial as an exam. The written paper had been a challenge for her with them asking questions that she hadn't prepared for. At one point she nearly had a panic attack, which almost always happened whenever she had to do theoretical exams.

She never liked theoretical exams, not when most of the time Naruto didn't have many good experience with it.

"I will pass the exam, Boss. It will be a piece of cake." Naruto shrugged and forced herself to plaster a confident smile. Her boss pressed her lips into a thin line, hazel eyes searching hers to find any source of doubt. The smile didn't waver but the woman shook her head.

"Naruto, I know this isn't my place but are you avoiding preparing for the exam for any reason to do with your home? Do you want to talk about it? You know I consider all my employees as family."

Naruto nodded, smiling tightly and thanked the woman before grabbing the tray of drinks from the counter. Hazel eyes stared at her with concern, silently begging for her to start talking about her life. Her response? She just smiled and walked away from her boss.

The woman didn't really want to know what her life was like. No one really wanted to know what she was like. People weren't kind from the bottom of their heart. People were cruel and hurtful—never kind or warm. Naruto would know; kindness was not something she deserved.

Unconditional kindness was not something Naruto had experienced with, not with the life that she had.

Kindness was earned through good deeds. It was given when she accomplished something that pleased people. A woman like her would never have it.

She didn't deserve it.

"What exams is the Boss talking about, Uzumaki-san?" One of her co-workers asked, sneaking up on her. Naruto twisted her head around, blue eyes locked on the peering eyes of her customer. Excitement shone through those eyes, no doubt with the knowledge of new gossip. "Have you decided about going to high school?"

Her co-workers really did like to gossip.

"She applied for Yuuei High," her boss called out from across the café. All the chatter died down at the announcement. Customers dropped their forks, their eyes growing wide at the sight of her but only one group of table seemed overjoyed about the announcement.

Naruto always tried her hardest to avoid that group of students, which consisted of a blond-haired boy, indigo-haired boy and a girl with lavender blue hair. Those smiles and laughs always made her heart ached. They made her think of Konoha, the last place she wanted to remember.

This really was a bad idea.

"You might become our cute little junior!" Naruto blinked when the girl charged at her, eyes beaming with excitement as both her colleagues and co-workers sweat-dropped at the speed the girl charged towards her. "What is your Quirk? Are those whiskers real? They make you look so pretty! Why are you working today? And why do you always avoid our table? Tamaki…"

Words circled around her and Naruto felt herself growing dizzy at the questions being asked. Was this how celebrities felt whenever those reports asks questions? Because she understood why some of them just went crazy. The endless questions would make anyone go crazy.

Naruto stole a glance to her colleagues. Smiles decorated their faces and their eyes flashed with pity, but if they really felt pity then they would stop the girl from asking so many questions.

"I'm sorry about Nejire, Uzumaki-san," one of the customers answered, grabbing hold of the excited teen. Naruto blinked when the blond-haired boy offered her a bright cheerful smile, his hands pressing the excited teen down as their indigo friend popped right beside them. "My name is Togata Mirio, the excited girl is Hado Nejire and our friend here is Amajiki Tamaki. If you pass your exams tomorrow then we will become your senpai."

Joy and warmth leaked out of his voice but Naruto could only just avoid his eyes, never glancing at his friend Amajiki._ Why did you always avoid our table?_ The answer was simple. Their friend looked like her teammate…her best-friend. The sight of him always brought a heaviness to her chest that she just wanted to avoid.

It was the main reason that Naruto avoided them. The smiles she made were easy to create to her customers, but one glance at the boy and she recalled of what happened nearly three years ago. The walls she created would break, cracked and Naruto would find herself in the same state again.

She didn't want to be in that state…

_I am the idiot that thought people cared for me._

Naruto shoved the thought away, forced herself to smile at the customers and blinked when Amajiki flushed a light shade of red. _A weirdo. The guy is a complete weirdo._ His friend laughed, shaking his head while Nejire opened her mouth to say something.

She needed to escape from them. Drinks needed to be served, customers needed to be charmed so that she could get some more tips. No time for her to think about the strange boy and his eerily resemblance to Sasuke. She bowed before dashing through the tables, handing them their drinks and making so much small talk.

Naruto pretended not to notice their eyes followed her with confusion.

She continued to pretend her heart was not hollow anymore and if there was one thing Naruto had always been good at, it was lying to herself about her feelings and hiding her pain.

* * *

**(Next day)**

Naruto stared wide-eyed at the entrance of Yuuei High, her hands tucked deeply in her jacket as the people around her strolled with confidence to the hall. A quick glance to her side made her realize, she was the only one marvelling at the structure of the building. Was it too late for her to turn her back? She furiously shook her head. No, she was not scared of anything.

_I think you have a good shot of getting into Yuuei High._

Her teacher's words echoed in her ear, forcing Naruto to look ahead and take one step forward. She pushed her hoodie up, ignoring the whispers thrown in her direction. Blue eyes glanced rapidly at her fellow examinees. Excitement rolled off them in waves as some of the fellow examinees (most likely they came from the same middle school) wrapped their arms around each other, whispers being exchanged.

"Whiskers."

Naruto halted at the explosive voice directed at her. Her ears rang as Bakugou stood by her side, red eyes flared with irritation at the sight of her here. Flashes of all the cold eyes directed at her flashed before her eyes, making Naruto feel like a small child again.

_I am fifteen now, not that five-year-old girl._ She chanted those words to herself and pasted a smile on her face. She was no longer a naïve child. Naruto knew better now what those eyes meant. People with those eyes should be treated with a distance, never getting so close to them. _Ignore those eyes_ _and maybe things would get better._ She took another deep breath.

"What the hell are you doing here? First it was Deku, now you!" Bakugou snarled. His red eyes glared at her, daring her to back down from the exam. Students stopped walking, their eyes growing wide at the exchange taking place right in front of them.

Naruto just smiled and ignored the question asked.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He repeated himself. "Why did you decide to become a damn Hero?"

_Because I don't know what I want to do with my life._ All those plans she made in her childhood crashed nearly three years ago. She always dreamt big for herself. She longed for the job of being a kunoichi that Naruto never considered a plan B. Plan B meant she doubted of getting the occupation, meant she didn't believe in herself.

She could never tell him this, so Naruto went with the half-truth.

"I had no plans of applying for high school but Sensei wasn't happy with my desire," Naruto clicked her heels together and began to walk away from the short-tempered teen, blue eyes focused on the large building ahead of them. "He wasn't going to accept the fact I am content to not apply to high school or that I have no idea about my future. He suggested I apply here for the Hero Course since it is a better future than working in a café. He thinks I will be wasting my time there."

Naruto doubt the man would suggested Yuuei High if she didn't have excellent grades. With Bakugou and Izuku ranked in the top five in their year, Naruto came third with her grades. There was something about the schooling that made her want to actually try and focus all her energy at it.

Maybe it was because the teachers weren't dicks to her.

"You would have wasted your fucking time, Whiskers." Naruto blinked and the smile on her face wavered at the sudden kind words coming from her hot-headed classmate. She eyed him suspiciously. What was he planning? If he planned to make her give up by using such strange supportive words then Bakugou was a fool. "Why the hell are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you sounded almost nice."

Bakugou folded his arms, lips pressed into a scowl and barked. "What the hell does that mean? I can be nice, Whiskers!"

"People like you can't ever be nice; that's a fact of life," Naruto declared calmly. He gawked, opening and closing his mouth as the girl brushed passed him. Blue eyes hardened and the plastic smile almost broke as thoughts circled around her head, threatening to consume her.

_He can never be nice…just like I can never really be a hero._ The childish voice whispered as Naruto forced her trembling legs to take a step forward to the future. Heroes were good, honest people that helped people. They opened themselves to people, smiling and giving them hope.

They trusted people and Naruto couldn't bring herself to even trust the sincerest of smiles.

"Good morning, Kacchan! Naruto-san!"

The two teens clicked their heels together, twisting their whole body around to see Midoriya standing behind them. A nervous smile played on his lips, only to be replaced with a flinch when Bakugou growled at him. Blue eyes narrowed at the rude behaviour that was only a slight improvement from ten months ago.

"I'm going ahead." Bakugou declared, storming passed them.

Blue eyes watched blankly at the boy's fading back, pink lips pressed into a thin line. Naruto slipped her hands into her pockets and glanced at Midoriya, who knitted his eyebrows together. It never escaped her notice how much more quieter Bakugou became. He still lashed out against Midoriya but the punches and the furious words faded away.

Was this because Midoriya saved his ungrateful ass?

"What is his problem?"

Naruto blinked and flickered her eyes to find a cute brown-haired girl looking at Midorya and with curiosity. The girl had her body tilted towards them, barely brushing against her classmate. Brown eyes flashed with curiosity at what just happened. She shrugged while her green-haired classmate stiffened, his cheeks growing redder by the minute.

"He is an ass."

That was the only explanation Naruto needed to explain Bakugou.

"I know everyone is nervous but it doesn't mean he has an excuse to be an ass," the girl declared hotly. Naruto smiled politely, blue eyes darting at her stone-faced classmate and the brown-haired girl got the silent message that Naruto wanted to be left alone. "Well, alright then! Good luck with the exam today."

The girl waved and dashed off, leaving Naruto to deal with a frozen Midoriya.

Shaking her head, Naruto lightly whacked the boy on the head.

"Ow! What was that for, Naruto-san?"

"Oh, to check if you were alive."

* * *

As her luck would have it, Naruto found her seats to be right next to Midoriya and Bakugou. Her green-haired classmate bounced in his seat while Bakugou scowled at her, still pissed at the observation she made about him. In all honesty, she didn't care one bit. Slumping in her chair, Naruto pushed her hoodie even lower as Izuku snuck a glance at her and their scowling classmate. He raised his eyebrow at him.

She didn't bother to answer his silent question and only glanced at her classmate's sheet. Her lips curled into a frown at the sight of the different letter in his registration card.

Midoriya had B while she had C.

She darted her eyes to the people around her, noticing how people from the same school were seated together and directed her attention to the empty podium. The backdoor opened and a blond-haired man stepped in with a bounce in his steps; his eyes danced with excitement.

"For all you examinee listeners tuning in, welcome to my show today!" His loud voice boomed through the hall. Students slammed their hands together and eyes shut tightly at the loud voice. "Can everybody say hey!"

The only response was silence as students glanced at each other, daring one of them to finally respond to the Hero.

"What a refined response," Present Mic shrugged and acted like he wasn't bothered by the lack of response from the students. He grinned at them. "Then I will quickly present to you the rundown on the practical exam! Are you ready?"

The room remained silence as the students refused to engaged with the excited man.

Silence broke when Izuku flushed a bright shade of red, green eyes growing wide with joy at the sight. He pressed his hands together in excitement. It looked kind of cute… if her classmate had been a girl. As a teenage boy, it was just plain weird or maybe Naruto just was not used to it.

The only experience she had was Sakura and Ino, even then they hadn't looked cute whenever they gushed over Sasuke.

"It's the Voice Hero, Present Mic! Wow!" Izuku squealed, hyperventilating at the sight of the hero. "I listened to him every week on the radio. I'm so moved. All the teachers at Yuuei are Professional Heroes!"

"Shut up, Deku!" Bakugou snapped; he didn't tear his eyes away from Present Mic. The boy quickly shut up, flinching at his childhood friend's rude words. Naruto flickered her eyes at the blond-haired boy, narrowing her eyes at the harshness of his tone.

Bakugou gave Naruto the middle finger and jerked his head at the podium, signalling her to focus on the exam.

"Naruto-san, are you okay? You have been covering your ears whenever Present Mic talked." Izuku whispered. Green eyes stared at her with concern as he lowered his head to look at her. Naruto forced herself to smile, removing her hands from her ears. _I am always going to be fine. Nothing can bring me down._ Izuku smiled and as soon as his head turned away from her, Naruto dropped her smile.

She missed the stolen glance from Bakugou.

The screen behind Present Mic came to life, images of robots appeared and a quick glance at her sheet showed that the robots was the same as the flyer. "Alright, my examinees! Let me tell you about how this test will go!"

The bored atmosphere turned to excitement and tension as students gripped their flyers, their eyes flashed with excitement. Naruto could only just stare blankly, almost tempted to pull out her phone and listened to some music. Would it be rude? Yes. Did she care? Not really. There weren't many things that Naruto actually cared about.

She used to care a lot for the people around her, but people were cruel and hurtful little things.

"All of you will experience a 10-minute mock urban battles after this," The man swirled his whole body to the right side of the auditorium, his eyes making sure that the students paid attention. "You can bring whatever you want with you."

The screen lit up and several different boxes lit labelled from A to G appeared on the screen. Judging by the letters assigned to her and Midoriya, she guessed the two of them would be in different battle areas. Was it going to be the same for Bakugou too? It would make life easier for everyone if they were all in different battle areas.

If Midoriya and Bakugou were in the same field, then Naruto was certain that neither of them would pass.

"After the presentation, you will head to the specified battle centres, okay?" Silence reined as students from the same school glanced at each other's cards. Izuku stole a glance at her, a small frown playing on his lips at the assigned battle centre for her, and then glanced at Bakugou's card.

"Oi Whiskers, what battle centre do you have?" Bakugou demanded after taking a peak at Izuku's registration card.

Naruto blinked and answered. "I got C, why?"

Bakugou darted his eyes at Izuku, who gulped at the ferocity that was his best-friend's eyes. "Because it means that they won't let students work with their friends. We got assigned different battle centres. "

"You are right," Midoriya stuttered, he glanced again at the two student's cards. A small frown decorated his lips. "Even though our examinee numbers are sequential, we are assigned to different battle centres."

Bakugou clicked his tongue. "Damn, now I can't crush either of you."

Midoriya gulped and Naruto scowled at the boy for making the comment. The temptation to mock him about his skills was huge, but the knowledge Bakugou would be happy to see her explode was enough for her to hold her tongue. Only the asshole would make her want to lash out.

It was like he made it a habit to make her angry.

"Three different types of faux villains are stationed in each battle centre," Present Mic continued once all the students finished talking to each other. The screen changed to show three figures not so different from the robots in the student's pamphlets. "You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty."

The robots faded, only to be replaced by an image of a miniature version of Present Mic attacking them. "Our goal, dear listeners, is to use your Quirks to earn points by restraining the fake villains."

_But what about rescuing people? Isn't the main role of a hero to save people?_ Naruto nibbled on her bottom lip, eyebrows knitted together as the people behind her whisper about how easy this exam was going to be. She probably was the last person to think like this. It should please her, she had a chance to pass this exam with flying colours.

Weren't they going to be tested on how well they save people? What if someone had a good heart, willing to save anyone, but weren't capable of using their Quirk properly? What do they do then? They couldn't just toss the person away.

It wasn't fair.

Present Mic swung his arm and pointed his finger at them. "Of course, attacking other examinees and any other unheroic actions are prohibited!"

"Guess that means you can't kill your opponent, Explosive Head." Bakugou grunted and folded his arms against his chest, almost reminiscent of a cute little child. Well maybe cute little child wasn't the word Naruto would use to describe the angry boy.

A cute, angry kitten maybe.

"Excuse me sir, I have a question!"

Naruto moaned and slumped in her seat, silently eyeing the clock on the wall. There were going to be behind schedule because of that asshole. She didn't want to be late for her shift, today. Bills needed to be paid and every single penny was worth it.

"Okay!" Present Mic pointed to the boy, who stood several meters ahead of them, and a spotlight sudden appeared at him. Nerd was the first thing that came to Naruto's mind when she had a better look at the teen. Nothing really stood out about him, except for those old-style glasses and the fact he looked like he could be someone's Dad.

The rigidi posture spoke volumes of just how straight-laced the boy was. Guys like those were kill-joys; they used to ruin her pranks in the Academy.

"On the printout, I see there are four types of Villains." The boy announced. He held up the printout for everyone to see, pointing at the Villain figure they hadn't seen in the video. "If that is a misprint, then Yuuei, the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake. We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be shaped into model heroes."

A sense of shame washed over Naruto at the boy's speech. Most of these people desired to become amazing heroes while she was just wandering around, not knowing what to do with herself. Everyday, she woke up doing the same thing: wake up, go to school, go to work, do homework and train.

She always tried to avoid sleep.

"In addition, you over there with the curly hair—" Midoriya pointed at himself, green eyes growing wide with fear as the boy stilted his eyes at him. "You have been muttering this entire time, stop it. It is distracting! If you are here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately!"

Midoriya squeaked, covered his mouth and mumbled, "I am sorry."

_Not my business._ Naruto stood up from her seat, earning frowns from the people around her as Midoriya stared at her with confusion. She was an idiot. This wasn't her fight. The boy was her classmate, nothing else. There was no reason for her to yell at him.

But her classmate looked so sad and hurt at that comment; she couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

"Maybe he is distracting you because you put your mind with him," Naruto said slowly. "He is nervous about this damn exam. Be considerate of other people too, don't just think about yourself. The people behind me didn't have a problem with his behaviour, didn't even tell him to shut up. So deal with it."

Midoriya blinked like he always did whenever she defended him. He opened his mouth, maybe to say an apology but Naruto waved him off. Everyone else broke out in whispers as the boy pushed his glasses against his nose, irritated at her calling him out.

It was Midoriya's fault for calling out her protective instincts.

"Calm down you two," Present Mic said, waving both his hands at them. He gave a thumbs-up to the boy. "Examinee number 7111, thanks for the great message. The fourth type of villain is worth zero points. That guy is an obstacle, so to speak. There is one in every battle centre—an obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. "

The students frowned.

"It is not impossible to defeat, but there is no reason for you to defeat it, either." Present Mic explained. He flashed them a smile and swung his arm up in the air. "I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it."

Naruto raised her eyebrows, lips pressed into a thin line as she stared at the handout. Avoid a Villain? Weren't Heroes supposed to charge after any kind of villains? It shouldn't even matter if it had points or not. She might not be the best example of what a hero should be, but Naruto knew what a hero was.

A true Hero would attack even if the villain might not bring any benefit, might be difficult because Villains were always dangerous. They hurt people, ruined them to the point that they didn't know what was right and wrong and because people's lives needed to be saved. This was the reason people like them were considered Heroes.

They trusted the village too and saw all of its beauty in people.

All Naruto could ever see was just how cruel and evil people can be, and this was the reason she could never truly become a Hero.

She was just too broken for the job, but it wasn't like she had anything better to do.

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**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. Please tell me if there is anything that can be improved on, either the characterisation of the characters, interactions between them or if you have any general questions.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows and everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

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_How much money does this school have?_ Naruto stretched her back and stared at the numerous tall buildings behind the examination gate. The numerous city blocks, the buses, and the gates made it clear to her that Yuuei High was a school with a lot of funds. It made sense with two of the best heroes in the country coming from this very school.

She darted her eyes to the other examinees. Most of them had straight backs, chins up and smirks on their faces, while others fidgeted and kept glancing at the clock every few seconds. It made sense, considering how in the next couple of minutes their whole future was going to be decided behind those walls. All of their dreams might just come true or it would crumble like ashes.

Naruto could only wonder what made these kids decide to become heroes. She knew what made the kids of her home to become shinobi. The kids might have never talked to her, ignored her or made fun of her but Naruto always listened to them.

It was just a side effect of being an outsider.

Some of her classmates become shinobi because of expectations. Their grandparents and parents were shinobi, so it was expected for them to have the same job. She knew most of the girls decided kunoichi because of boys. A few of the civilian boys wanted to become a shinobi because of money. Out of all the jobs in Konoha, the job of being a ninja was the most well-paid job.

It was also the most respected job and if there was anything Naruto wanted…it was to be respected and loved.

Was it a good reason to be a kunoichi? Probably not but it was what drove her to try so hard when she started the Academy. She hadn't realized how naïve she was until Haku. The thought that a shinobi was a hero, loved and respected by the people changed when she met the boy.

He was the one to make her see how ninjas were tools to be used by the government and by other people. Sweet Haku couldn't even harden his heart to kill her or Sasuke, but would have been willing to do it if it meant protecting the person he loved. Haku made her realize what could make a person strong, but she doubted his belief.

How could she get stronger if the people she loved didn't love her back? Could she grow stronger without having the same love and care being returned back to her? Did Haku's belief about strength apply to everyone? Or was it just special to him? Those questions haunted her mind whenever she lay in her small bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Okay, start!"

Present Mic's voice boomed throughout the area. All of the examinees blinked and swirled their head up at the looming tower over them. What did he mean by start? Did the guy just announced out of nowhere the exam had just started? How could they start running through the gates if it wasn't open? Naruto flickered her eyes to the gate and frowned.

When did they open the gates?

Naruto furiously shook her head and straightened her back. Naruto weaved her hands together, blood pumping through her ears as she summoned hundred copies of herself.

"What's wrong? There are no countdowns in real fights!"

Naruto snorted and sprinted through the gates as Present Mic attempted to snap her fellow examinees out of their shock. Her clones grinned and followed right behind her, making sure not to push any of the examinees out of the way so that they could have their fun.

With the numerous streets departing from the main road, Naruto barked at her clones to separate from each other and start searching through the streets.

She weaved her way through the empty streets, blue eyes picking up for any subtle clues on where the robots might be. The roads were empty and none of the buildings looked destroyed, which made Naruto wonder where on earth could those robots be.

Naruto needed to get as many points as she could get, her future depended on it. The man never stated how many points they needed to get to pass and she had no clue about how well she did in the written exams. The chances she did well in the written exam was high but a part of her felt doubtful of her probability of passing the exam.

Even though she did extremely well in school in Japan, Naruto always carried a sense of self-doubt about her capabilities in written exams.

The walls of the building crumbled as the One-Pointer robot slammed out. Rubble fell down as it slid right in front of her. Its lone red eye directed at her, sparkling and twinkling as if mocking her and her abilities. Naruto curled her lips into a smirk, jumped up in the air and smashed her hand against the body of the robot.

The robot blew up with some of its pieces of it flying through the air, while other parts of the robot slammed against the other building. Naruto might not have a Kekkai Genkai (or a Quirk as these people call them) but she took great pride in her monstrous strength.

The strength that earned her the nickname of mini-Tsunade in Konoha.

"Clones? And super strength? What the hell is her Quirk?" A fellow examinee yelled. "At this rate, we won't get any points!"

Naruto ignored the complaint and continued sprinting through the streets. Broken claws, broken heads and other pieces of the robots littered the streets. Who destroyed them? Was it the clones? Or were the other examinees responsible for this?

She slowed down at the sight of one of the robots raising its claw at one of the frozen students. The claw seemed ready to slash the student and Naruto dashed straight to the robot. She didn't know how many points the robot had, nor did she actually care. A fellow student was endangered and he was scared out of his mind.

Naruto couldn't ignore it even if she wanted to.

The student's eyes grew wide as Naruto slashed through the robot, cracking it symmetrically in half. With her slender built, long blond hair and almond shaped eyes, Naruto wasn't the exact image of someone you would consider strong. It was the reason most people seemed to underestimate her when they first hear her dreams or learn she was a ninja.

She never liked it when someone judged her by her appearance.

"Thank you for saving my ass."

Naruto swirled her head around, blue eyes growing bigger at the sound of a stranger thanking her. The examinee smiled nervously, eyes meeting her own and the girl wondered what his game was. Was he trying to lower her guard and run away to get more points? Why would he thank her? No one ever thank her for saving their lives.

There was no way that person was being sincere with her not unless they wanted something from her.

She forced herself to smile. "You're welcome, but anyone would have done what I would have done."

With those words, she ran to the next street, ready to fight the next robots. Explosions echoed in her ears as the head of Three Pointer flew at her direction. Pinks lips pressed into a thin line, Naruto ducked. She twisted her head around, blue eyes following the flight of the Three Pointer.

"Take that sucker!"

_That answers who did it._ Naruto glared at her copy, who feebly shrug her shoulders at her. Weren't her clones supposed to act like her? She scanned the area. Just like in the other streets, there were pieces of robots scattered around the streets. But unlike the other streets, there seemed to be more examinees in the area.

"How many points did you get?" Naruto asked.

Her clone scrunched her eyebrows together, held her fingers out and tilted her head to the side as she counted the number of points that she got in total. "Thirty points!"

_Thirty points from that clone._ If Naruto was to consider the other clones then maybe she probably racked enough points to pass the practical exam with flying colours. Her possible bad score in the written exam might be overlooked when they considered her physical skills.

"You ruined one of my traps!" A purple-haired boy complained. Naruto swirled her head around and raised her eyebrow. The scowl on his face faded as his beady eyes landed on her chest, saliva leaked out of his mouth. If she wasn't a kunoichi or had years of experience with perverts, she probably wouldn't know why he had drool coming out of his mouth.

"Focus on the exam," She barked.

_He is lucky that we are not allowed to hurt the other examinees or I would have punched him for that._ It was bad enough she spent most of her Academy years being reminded that she had been one of the most fully developed girls. Now this asshole made her feel like something sleazy.

"You have got six minutes and two seconds remaining!"

Wow, was he trying to give them more pressure?

Naruto shook her head and jumped over the broken pieces of the robots, trying to find the next robot that she should attack. There were so many examinees with her and there was always going to be a possibility that someone had more points than her.

She really wanted enough points to pass the exams.

The sound of someone huffing and puffing snapped her out of her thoughts. To her right, an orange-haired girl had her leg crushed underneath the rubble. Orange eyebrows scruntched together as she tried to pull her leg from the spear. Blue eyes grew wide when she saw a Three Pointer rushing towards her.

Naruto took a deep breath and channelled her chakra to her hand. No one was getting hurt in her watch. She took a deep breath and launched herself at the Three fist slammed the back of the robot and the robot denotated, splitting into several pieces and flying all over the air.

"Thank you."

She ignored the girl's words and raced towards her. Blue eyes darted the arena and pink lips pressed into a frown at the sight of the other examinees charging through the remaining robots. _Haven't they noticed someone was hurt?_ The Villain Points were important but so was rescuing people in danger. Wasn't it the whole point of being a hero to rescue people?

She knew she wasn't meant to be a hero. The things she had done and the type of person she became made it impossible for Naruto to be considered a hero. But right now this wasn't a matter of being a hero, right now she needed to save this girl from the pain. These people were too self-absorbed with everything to realize they should be decent people first.

"Stop pulling your leg!" Naruto ordered. She knelt down and forced herself to smile reassuringly at the girl. Immediately, the girl stopped what she was doing and just looked at her. Green eyes grew large and confused as the blond-haired girl placed both hand on the large rubble. Taking a deep breath, she lifted the rubble high over her head.

Naruto lowered one hand and offered a hand to the girl. A warm smile broke out of the girl's face as she grabbed the free hand to crawl herself out of the way. If it wasn't for the rubble in her hand, she probably would have dropped it.

No stranger had willingly gave her a warm smile before. It took her a long time to get someone back home to even look at her with something, other than cold eyes. This girl was just offering it freely. Did the girl want something from her? Was she planning something? These people couldn't just give something that freely.

Oh wait, she was being repaid for her deeds by a smile. Technically, this smile hadn't been given so freely.

"Thank you for saving me!" The girl declared, beaming and wincing at the same time if that was even possible.

Naruto didn't smile back. Blue eyes focused on the orange-haired girl, who cradled her leg. She was never good in the first-aid business. That part of the job had always been left to Sakura-chan; the girl always seemed to enjoy acting like the doctor in their team. But there was no Sakura-chan to check up on the girl and give her first aid.

It was up to her to do this.

Naruto took a deep breath and pressed her fingers lightly against the lower part of her leg. Wrinkles formed around the girl's forehead as green eyes shut tightly at the pressure. A small frown played on her lips as she tried to come to a decision on what to do.

There was no way Naruto could leave the girl alone not with an injury to her leg. She didn't know if she was allowed to physically leave the exam and just looking at the rubble and the other examinees, there was no safe place for her to put her.

Oh wait, she could make another shadow clone.

Naruto inhaled and pressed her hand together in a familiar hand seal. White smoke appeared, enveloping the small space right next to her. The girl frowned and green eyes grew wide as the smoke disappeared to reveal another clone.

"Take her to the school's infirmary," Naruto barked. The clone grinned, saluted and scooped up the girl into her arms.

"Wait! Why are you doing this time? Don't you care about how much time you are wasting doing this?" The girl demanded, attempting and failing to get out of her clone's hand. "I know you made clones but every point counts!"

She scowled. "Points! Is that all you care about? Anyone would do what I am doing because you are hurt! I don't know what it means to be a hero but I know heroes don't ignore someone in distress. What matters to me is making sure you get yourself patched up."

"But you should be focusing more…"

"I don't care about the points," Naruto declared. "Let me worry about getting more points and you focus on getting better."

"_Three minutes left!"_

The ground rumbled as buildings began to cracked and crash down to the ground. Screams echoed throughout the arena as the other examinees ran the other direction. Blue eyes darted to her clone. The clone nodded and charged the other way to where the gates were. Naruto had no idea what happened but that girl had to be taken away to safety.

Her ears throbbed as the windows, from one of the buildings ahead, fractured and splinted. The rumbles grew larger each second as the cries of distress of the other examinees became louder and louder. The smart plan would be to run away like the other students, but Naruto wasn't scared. She wasn't a coward and she would face whatever they threw at them with a smile on her face.

"What the hell are you doing? You should run away!" One of the examinees yelled. He didn't look anything special but the one thing that stood out about him, was the cylinder tape dispensers shaped elbows he had. Panic shone through those eyes. "The Zero Pointer is heading this way! The examiner wasn't lying when he said you should run away! That thing is monstrous and it is going to hurt everyone."

_Run away? But why?_ Those cries and screaming made it clear to her about what should be done. How could they ask her to run away when she know people were going to get hurt? If there were real civilians in this area then they were going to get hurt. These people were going to get injured if the things wasn't stopped.

She couldn't let it happen.

Naruto focused her eyes on the large green Zero-Pointer heading their way. "All of you guys are scared right? You think that just because it is worth no points, because it is scary then it is better to run away. I don't think like that. A hero should be willing to sacrifice their life and destroy a villain because people are counting on them. If I leave that thing alone then people are going to get hurt."

Black eyes blew up at her comment and Naruto charged straight towards the Zero-Pointer. Get hurt? Physical pain was easy to deal with, the scars would heal and eventually fade. She didn't care about the pain she probably would get. Why would she? Naruto never really cared about her own life. She fought Gaara even though there was always a possibility he might murder her.

She tried fighting Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, despite knowing her chances of winning and surviving were low. Everything Naruto had done until she ran away, had always been to protect her teammates.

_That thing is worth Zero Points? They have got to be kidding!_ The Zero-Pointer was larger than any building that Naruto had ever seen. Eights red dots shone down on the ground as the robot placed both of its claws on either side of the building. It gripped the building, causing blocks of slab to crash on the ground.

Naruto pressed her fingers together and summoned another fifty clones. _With my clone's combined strength and the Rasengan , that robot won't have a chance of surviving._ She took a deep breath and held her palm out as her clone helped her form the Rasengan. The energy swirled and whirled, forming a small ball of energy.

She knelt and launched herself straight up to the ground as her clones charged towards the Zero-Pointer. The Rasengan cracked the head of the robot as her clones punched and kicked all the available parts of the robot. Pieces and parts of the robot smashed, flying through the bright blue sky or crashing down on the ground.

_If I can be willing to save the lives of my teammates then being a hero isn't going to be much different._

Naruto might never have pictured herself as a hero and maybe she didn't deserve to be a hero. Heroes should inspire trust and trust the people they vowed to protect. People had hurt her in so many ways. People, she considered to be her friends, betrayed her. People called her so many terrible names, but Naruto was willing to become a hero worthy of this country.

But her idea of what a hero should be and nothing like those heroes that she saw in television. Most of those heroes never seemed to put the people first. None of them seemed to tackle the children who had been abused by the people that were supposed to care for them. None of them had done any deeds that didn't bring up the fact young kids got discriminated for things that wasn't their fault.

Naruto was going to show them that even a child with her background could become a worthy hero.

She would prove it even if it killed her.

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**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. Please tell me if there is anything that could be improved on, the characterisation of the characters or if you have any questions.**


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

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"You know when most kids get their letters from their first choice, the last thing they plan to do is work their asses off."

Naruto put down the dirty plates and swirled her head at her boss. The woman held up the letter from Yuuei High with one hand while her other hand lay on her hips. A large frown played on her lips, her brown eyes looked at her with so much concern and confusion.

It almost touched her heart.

"Did you go through my stuff? Isn't this consider an invasion of privacy?" Naruto grumbled, dashing towards the young woman. Her white hands tried to reach up for the letter, only for the woman to stretch her hand even higher. Naruto raised her eyebrow at her boss, who knitted her eyebrows together and tilted her head.

"Why haven't you open it? I found it extremely weird that you haven't even talked about whether or not Yuuei High accepted you." Her boss darted her eyes to the customers behind the door. Their cheerful voices could even be heard from even behind the kitchen. "The kids coming in here are ether talking about their new high schools or about their colleges. They are not here working their asses off."

"They don't have to pay the bills and rent because they have parents." The smile on the woman's face faded at her words and Naruto took it as an opportunity to snatch her letter back. She stuffed the letter back into the backpack before twisting her body to snap at her boss for taking her things.

She froze at the sight in front of her.

The smile that always played on the woman's face didn't radiate with happiness like it always did. Sadness poured out of the smile as brown eyes locked onto her. Naruto's throat tightened at the sight of the moistness in the woman's eyes.

"I keep forgetting you aren't like the other kids that works for me or the customers that comes into this cafe," her boss admitted. "It always escapes my mind that you are struggling to get by with things. Most kids will complain about how they don't have parents but not once did you ever complain about it."

Naruto stared out at the window, lips pressed into a tight smile at the sight of the smiling parents with their kids. "I can't complain or miss something that I never had, can I?"

No one seemed to understand how much she missed her parents.

_You didn't even know your parents._

The cruel words spoken by Sasuke echoed in her ear as it always did whenever she thought of the family that was so cruelly taken away from her. It was so stupid of her to believe he could understand some depth of her pain. So stupid of her to think that maybe he did give a shit about her.

She was thankful of one thing about Sasuke's cruel words: it taught her that even her own fellow orphans could turn against her.

"You didn't even have any foster parents?" Naruto kept quiet and this only fuelled her boss to fire more questions at her. "Didn't your parents have any relatives to take you in? Maybe friends? They couldn't possibly decide to just leave a child to fend for herself."

Naruto could only shrug and offer a smile to her distressed boss. What was there for her to say? She didn't know anything about her parents, not even what their names were. She did know from the whispers in the orphanage that she hadn't always been brought up there. The matron made it clear to her about how grateful she should be to her for letting her be raised with the other kids.

She didn't know what happened to the previous caretaker, but Naruto would like to think that maybe her previous caretaker was a kind old person like the Hokage had been to her.

But she doubted the previous caretaker had been kind to her, almost everyone in Konoha treated her with hate and rudeness. They only seemed to care for her whenever they wanted something from her. Like a fool, Naruto never even noticed it.

Naruto stiffened when she felt a pair of warm hands enveloping her. She blinked at the sight of her boss smiling warmly at her and the blue-eyed girl felt a burning sensation in her throat. Naruto might be fifteen but this was probably the first time someone gave her a hug. The Hokage had always been so busy with work and the matron hated her.

She had no idea on what to feel about this hug.

"I don't know who your parents are Naruto, but I am sure they are proud of you," her boss declared, running her hand through her hair. "I am sure that they are looking down on you with a smile on their faces."

The steady heartbeat of her boss echoed in Naruto's ears as she tried to regain control of the emotions bubbling up in her. No one brought up the idea her parents would be smiling down upon her. It was always the idea they hated her that came up whenever someone brought up her parents. The jinchuuriki didn't deserve to have parents that smile at the thought of her.

"Why do you think that?" Naruto asked; sadness leaked out of her tone.

Her boss smiled. "Because they have an amazing daughter."

All the thoughts running through her head went away at those words. All Naruto could do was just stare at the smiling woman, opening and closing her mouth to find the words to articulate how nice it was to hear those words. Maybe she was wrong. People could be actually good to her without wanting something. They could be honest about…

"_You work for her and she is saying those words to make sure you take a break. She says these words that you want to hear so badly because she knows it will only make you work even harder."_ A dark, feminine voice echoed in her mind. Naruto clenched her hands into a tight ball of fist. _"Why would a stranger be nice to us? Our own teammate stopped being nice when you failed to bring him back. She called you useless."_

Naruto forced herself to smile at her confused boss as the cruel words of her teammate echoed in her mind.

People always wanted something from her. They never wanted to get to know Naruto Uzumaki, the orphan little girl. They wanted to use the attention-seeking part of her for their own good.

No one actually cared about her.

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The sound of the ocean roaring and the feel of the water crashing down on a person's leg should make a person happy, but Naruto could only just stare at it with blank eyes. All around her were happy couples frolicking through the sands, not having a care in the world. From behind her, she could hear parents cheering their children up at the thought of school starting again.

All Naruto could do was finger her letter.

The Yuuei letter was in her hands, almost begging for her to open it to see if she got in, but she held herself back. It didn't make sense for her not to open it. If they rejected her then it was fine with her. There was always a chance for her to try again in another hero school.

It wasn't even a big deal for her like the other kids.

A sigh escaped from her lips and Naruto turned around to stuff her letter into the bag. Blue eyes grew slightly large at the sight of Izuku jogging towards her, a bright cheerful smile playing on his lips. Was it too late for her to escape? She really wasn't in the mood to put on a smile and act like everything was fine with her.

"Hi Naruto-san!"

Naruto plastered a smile on her face and hid the Yuuei letter behind her back, as her classmate continued to jog towards her. Pure joy radiated through his green eyes almost making her wonder why he seemed so happy to see her. She might be the only person not to bully him for not having a Quirk but there was no reason to smile.

It wasn't even like she tried to be his friend.

"Hi Midoriya," Naruto greeted; she kept her tone light and easy. "What brings you here to the beach?"

The boy smiled nervously and took a seat right beside her. "I-I decided to take a jog. What about you? I thought you were too busy working to spend any time outside."

Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line and stared at the crashing waves. _I always use that excuse whenever I want to escape from our classmates._ In the nearly three years she has been here, not once did she allow herself to hang out with her classmates. They weren't actually interested in her as a person. They seemed more interested to know her as the new girl.

They wanted to know what her Quirk was, not whether she actually wanted to eat some burgers or not.

"My boss wanted me to leave my shift early so that I could spend some time with _friends._"

Midoriya frowned, his dark eyebrows knitted together and green eyes focused on her. She ignored his confused gaze. Everyone knew she didn't have friends in school. Every attempt her classmates made of getting to know her was always met with resistance and excuse. Work needed to be done. Bills needed to get paid. Oh, there was that homework she forgot to hand in.

She made a thousand of excuses not to hang out with her classmates that at one point they finally got the message.

The old Naruto would have jump in for any opportunity to hang out with her classmates and make some more friends. Risks of making friends would never cross her mind. But after what happened with her teammates, she decided to harden her heart and just never get too close to anyone.

"Naruto-san, what is behind your back?" Midoriya leaned backwards, green eyes shone with curiosity as he tried to see what she was hiding behind her back. The temptation to snap at him was on the tip of her tongue, but there was something about Midoriya that made her stop.

Maybe it was the fact he didn't have much luck when it came to people.

She took a deep breath and showed him the letter. Green eyes darted from the letter to her and his white teeth nibbled his lips, telling Naruto he wanted to ask her why she hadn't open it. She doubted he would even understand the reason she kept putting off opening the damn letter. It wasn't even like it could do much to her.

Naruto didn't even care about getting into Yuuei High.

"I got the letter this morning before I left for work," Naruto admitted. "I should probably have left it at home but I knew that I probably wouldn't even look for it, if I left it there. So I brought it with me to work but my noisy boss couldn't stop herself from snooping through my things. She finds the damn letter and tells me that my shift is over and I should find out if I got in or not."

Midoriya nodded. "Why haven't you open it?"

She shrugged and blinked when she caught sight of Nejire and her friends running towards the water with smiles on their faces. Well most of them. The guy that looked like Sasuke seemed too nervous to go anywhere near the water.

"You are the last person that should be scared about not entering Yuuei High," Midoirya declared; his timid voice brought her attention back to him. He smiled encouragingly at her and Naruto stopped herself from correcting his thoughts that she was terrified to enter Yuuei.

He didn't deserve to know she was more than confident in passing the exams.

"I don't know what your Quirk is, but I know you did well," Midoriya declared. " You have one of the best grades in school and you have always been saving me from Kacchan."

_It is only because no one wants to stand up against that asshole._ Naruto clasped her hands together and stared out at the ocean. If those words spill out then it meant she was opening up to him. It meant trust and the risk of allowing herself to get hurt again. She couldn't take the risk not when the consequence kept playing in her head at night.

Midoriya might be innocent but he didn't actually like her.

"I-I know I should have said this to you earlier but it never seemed like a good time," Midoriya admitted. He offered her a weak smile as his green eyes focused on her. "But thank you for believing in me when everyone else didn't believe in me. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have gotten into Yuuei High."

Naruto blinked and blinked, her mouth opened and closed as she processed what he just told her. It had been ten months since it happened. Ten long months since their teacher and fellow classmates were told off for not believing in him. Not once did Midoriya bring it up. She thought he forgotten all about it.

She certainly did.

Why was he thanking her? Did he think she was going to become his friend if he said those words? Because it would take a whole lot more than that for her to decide to become friends with someone like him. She didn't trust him. There had to be an ulterior motive for why he was thanking her.

She just couldn't think of any.

"What do you want from me, Midoriya?"

Green eyes flashed with confusion at her words and he looked almost a little bit hurt at her accusation. She should feel guilty for accusing him of wanting things from her, but Naruto had been used before by people she thought were her friends.

_If you really were my friend then you would have tried harder to bring Sasuke-kun back._

Sakura-chan didn't even care that Sasuke nearly killed her.

_Our bond? It means nothing to me. Why should I care about someone like you? You are so irritating with that stupid smile on your face._

Sasuke made her believe that those countless dinners they had in her favourite ramen stand and all those training sessions meant something to him. She should have known better when it came to Sasuke. The kind kid that treated her like another human being died the day his whole family was murdered.

"I don't want anything, Naruto-san." Midoriya declared; his timid voice broke her out of her thought. He stared at her with confusion, green eyes trying to search for any reason she might think he wanted something from her.

She just avoided his eyes and opened the letter, hoping it would be enough to draw his attention away from her. Blue eyes flashed with confusion when a small metal object fell down from the envelope. The area around her became quiet and dimly Naruto realized that the Nejire and her friends were now staring at them.

Midoriya pressed the button of the projector, probably realizing she was never going to take the next step forward.

"Listen up, Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto forced herself to look at the projection as crowds of people began to swam in around her. Whispers broke out and phones were brought out as Present Mic made his appearance. "You have been accepted into Yuuei High!"

Cheers broke out from all around her and Naruto just blinked at the excitement coming from the crowds of strangers.

"You knock yourself out of the park by having the highest score in the practical exam in all of Yuuei High's history," the man yelled. Whispers broke out at those words and Naruto frowned when her future seniors beamed at her. "Your written paper was good but nothing like your practical exam. You even went the extra mile and sent an injured person to the nurse. Recovery girl wants to thank you for your efforts since it is rare for students to go this far. Anyways, congratulation!"

She got in.

_She actually got in._

She got in.

"We are going to see each other often! I will show you the whole place around? How many points did you get?" Naruto felt a headache forming as Nejire pushed through the crowds and tackled her to the ground, earning raised eyebrows from Izuku. The blond-haired girl just stiffened her shoulders, uncertain on how to feel about the contact.

"Naruto-san, who is this?" Midoriya stuttered as Nejire continued to throw questions at her. Naruto craned her neck, blue eyes searching for one of her seniors to save her from this sudden attack. Blue eyes locked on the indigo eyes of the Sasuke's look alike and the boy looked away.

It was the blond-haired boy that saved her.

"Nejire, I think Uzumaki-san needs time to process that she pass the exam," Mirio said, pushing through the crowds of people. The boy yanked the girl away from Naruto, allowing her to breath from the assault that took place. He flashed her a smile.

The smile didn't even waver when Naruto didn't return it back to him.

"Who are these people?" Midoriya cried.

"The senpais that are going to take Uzumaki-san in!" Nejire declared. "You never answered my question about those whiskers marks! Are they real? Can I touch them? Tamaki thinks they…"

Naruto just tuned everything out as she stared at the smiling crowd surrounding her. Midoriya beamed at her as Nejire resumed pulling her cheeks, puffing her cheeks when she saw those whiskers marks were nothing but birthmarks. Strangers, she didn't even know, smiled softly at her and shouted their congratulations to her. She dimly could hear her two other seniors promising to show her and Midoriya around the school, telling them that they were going to enjoy Yuuei High.

There was only one conclusion Naruto could come up with.

Maybe not everyone wanted something from her, but Naruto would never trust the words and smiles of the people around her.

It would be a mockery to the naïve little girl that got betrayed by the boy she saw as her brother.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the changes in this chapter? And of the characters? What do you think of the interaction between Naruto and Izuku so far? And of Naruto with her boss?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_That is her, isn't it?_

Kendou stopped at the sight of a familiar blond-haired girl walking slowly through the gates of Yuuei High. She might be wrong but there was no mistaking that shade of blond. In all of Kendou's life, she had never seen a shade of blond liked the girl who saved her. It was too bright, looking exactly what sunshine must look like if it was a physical object.

It definitely had to be her.

She didn't know much about the girl, the school hadn't been willing to give her any hints about who her saviour was. Kendou really wanted to get to know her. The blond-haired girl didn't need to help her with the rubble, could have just left her alone, but chose to help her. Everyone else had been too busy trying to get points that they never noticed her.

The girl was willing to forgo any idea of getting more points to save her.

"You're the cool girl that took me to the nurse!" Kendou called out, dashing towards the girl and putting her hands on the girl's slender shoulders.

The girl's shoulders tensed up and blond hair flipped around, blue eyes meeting Kendou's green eyes. _Her eyes are really blue._ It was the first thing to come to her mind at the sight of those bright blue eyes. The second thing to stand out to Kendou was just how large the smile was. It gave her some hope that maybe she could make friends with her.

Finally, Kendou thought the girl looked similar to one of her juniors in her middle school. The shape of her eyes and the smile reminded her of that junior. Kendou would think they were related if it wasn't for the fact her junior had bright red hair.

It could be coincidence, Kendou knew there was a saying that there was always going to be another person with similar features in another country or even in the same place.

Beside, her saviour seemed kind while her junior only acted kind.

"Do you remember me?" Kendou asked. The girl kept quiet and just continued walking, but this didn't deter her. She needed to get closer to this girl. "I am the girl that you rescued from the rubble. You know you sent your clone to carry me to the infirmary?"

The girl stopped walking and twisted her head to look at her. A large smile seemed to be plastered on her lips as blue eyes locked on her. _I need to say something._ Kendou didn't usually feel anxious but something told her that she only had a couple of minutes, before she left again. She didn't even know if they were going to be in the same class.

Kendou hoped they would be in the same class.

"I really want to say thank you for helping me, but your clone just ran away before I could tell them thank you."

There was a very subtle change in the girl's expression. The large smile didn't waver, but there was a slight widening in her eyes. Kendou chose to ignore it, more focused on the ground as her brain scrambled to articulate the words to express her feelings.

"Recovery girl, she is the nurse by the way, scolded me for trying to pull my leg out of the rubble." Kendou began. "She told me that it was a bad idea for me to pull my leg out. My leg couldn't handle that kind of pressure, so I was lucky you helped me out of a tight spot. You know a lot of the other examinees just ignored me…but you helped me."

'_I don't know what it means to be a hero but I know heroes don't ignore someone in distress.'_

Kendou still feel ashamed whenever she thought back to those words. She wanted to be a hero to support her family. The thought of saving the other examines had been the last thing on her mind. Just getting into the school was more important to her, the first step of reaching her dream. A lot of the famous, well-paid heroes came here.

She did save some people, but Kendou only did it to get some more points. It was not from the goodness of her own heart like the girl in front of her.

"My name is Kendou Itsuka but you can call me Itsuka-chan!" She offered her hand to the girl but her saviour just eyed it, not reaching to shake it. It should annoy her but the girl did too much for Itsuka to be bother by it. "What's your name? Which class are you in? I am in Class 1B."

She prayed that the girl was in the same class as her.

The teen didn't answer, just clicked her heels together and resumed walking. Itsuka blinked, almost feeling a little bit at loss of what to do. This was the first time someone didn't answer her questions. Should she just give up? Maybe she was wasting her time with trying to get to know her.

She couldn't just give up now. Itsuka needed to know at least her rescuer name because it sounded wrong to not have a name for her.

"So who is your favourite hero?" Itsuka tried again, running after the girl. Her bag juggled as she tried to catch up to the mysterious girl that might or might not be her classmate. Why wouldn't she talk to her? She seemed to have no problem scolding her for focusing about the points.

The blonde didn't reply.

Kendou forced herself to smile and declared. "It is fine if you don't answer me, but I am going to get you to talk to me. I will just talk to you again in lunch."

She won't give up when it comes to her.

"Uzumaki!"

Kendou could only gawk as a periwrinkle-haired girl tackled her saviour, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. Uzumaki stiffened before jerking her head back, a larger smile playing on her lips as the girl pulled her whiskered cheeks.

"Are you excited for your first day of Yuuei High? Where is your friend? Do you want me to show you where your class is?" The girl asked. Kendou guessed this was going to be their senior if her words were of any indication.

Kendou blinked when the blond-haired girl sighed and nodded. _At least I know she does answers._ The senior didn't seem to be too put off at the fact Uzumaki was not even going to give her a verbal response to her questions. If anything, the girl just continued to talk with a cheerful smile playing on her lips.

"Ooh, are you another of Uzumaki's friends?" The girl asked, swirling her head at her. "How did the two of you meet? Does she ever talk to you? How do you get her to answer? Mirio tells me that I should give her time but Uzumaki-chan is so cute! My name is Hadou Nejire and I am going to be your senpai!"

Kendou blinked as the girl continued to fire questions at her. She tried her hardest to answer the girl's questions but the one thing that stood out to her was her saviour's last name. Uzumaki was a common last name. There were plenty of people with that last name.

Her junior also had the last name of Uzumaki, but it was just a coincidence that her saviour had the same last name.

You could have the same last name and not be related.

* * *

"It is nice that we are in the same class, isn't it Todoroki-san?"

Todoroki nodded, mismatch eyes focused on his new chatting classmates, as Yaoyorozu looked nervously around their classmates. The first day of class hadn't even started but it seemed like none of their new classmates seemed to have any problems making friends or scolding each other. Out of everyone here, he only knew Yaoyorozu.

They had met each other before whenever her family threw events.

He tore his eyes from their glasses-wearing classmate when the classroom door slid open. A blond-haired girl stepped through, blue eyes observing the scene right in front of them. Almost everyone was out and about, talking to each other, or in the case of the black-haired boy (he must come from Iida family) scolding their classmate.

Todoroki regarded the girl standing across the room. The one thing that stood out about the girl wasn't her looks. She was very pretty, there was no denying about it, but those blue eyes shone with a lot of mistrust. The smile might fool people into thinking the girl was fine, but Todoroki knew fake smiles very well.

His mother used to give them to him to reassure him that she was fine and happy. Todoroki believed them until the incident. All those fake smiles hid the depth of pain his mother went through under living in the same roof as that shitty old man.

Todoroki wondered what his classmate went through for her to show such fake smiles.

"Naruto-san! We're in the same class!" The nervous green-haired boy seemed to have grown a little bit more confident at the sight of the girl. Todoroki knitted his eyebrow. Naruto? Wasn't that a boy's name? He observed the girl, trying to find any hints that she might be a boy.

There was nothing about the girl's appearance that indicated she might be cross-dressing.

"Midoriya-san, it is good to see you too!" The girl said; her voice held a fake cheer and there was something husky about her voice. A large smile seemed to be glued on her face and just like before, Todoroki noticed just how fake the smile was.

No matter how large her smile was, the pain in her bright blue eyes was undeniable. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable at first glance but it clashed with her smile.

"You went to the same school as Midoriya-kun, right? I remembered that the two of you were walking together during the Entrance Exam!" One of their classmates asked, who stood right beside the boy Midoriya. She tilted her head and held her hand out, a cheerful smile playing on her lips. "My name is Uraraka Ochako!"

The girl didn't answer and the smile on Uraraka's face faded as time went by.

"Ochako-san, this is Uzumaki Naruto," Midoriya introduced with a slight timid tone in his voice. He darted his eyes to Uzuamki and silently pleaded for the girl to make some kind of comment. The blond-haired girl just ignored, shrugging her shoulders and taking the empty seat right beside Todoroki.

Midoriya sighed, looking almost put off at their classmate's behaviour.

Todoroki knitted his eyebrows when Iida charged towards the back of the row. His shoulders straight, eyes locked on the blond-haired girl. Uzumaki seemed not to pay much attention, just sliding her bag onto the chair and searching through her bag for something. The girl didn't up when Iida stopped right in front of her table, not even when Iida cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Uzumaki-san, I owe you an apology for my terrible behaviour during the Entrance Exam." Iida bowed down, his head hitting the table. Uzumaki froze, back stiffened before looking up at the teen. Just like always, there was a large, fake smile playing on her lips.

_She always uses fake smiles_.

Todoroki flickered his eyes to their other classmates, noticing how most of them stopped chatting and seemed focus on the scene right in front of them. Curiosity shone through everyone's eyes, waiting silently to see how the girl was going to react. It did not escape his notice how Midoriya seemed almost nervous on what was about to happen.

What happened during their Entrance Exam for everyone to be so curious.

"I am not the one you need to say sorry to," Uzumaki declared, blue eyes fixated onto the boy's eyes as the smile on her face grew even larger. "You owe an apology to Midoriya-san. What you did that day was more hurtful to him than me. I am fine with what happened…it didn't affect me in anyway."

The boy frowned and looked like he wanted the girl to say something but Uzumaki just turned her head away, her hands resuming her search for something. Iida looked at lost, almost uncertain on how to deal with the dismissal made by the girl.

"Don't you have something to…"

The door slid open, bringing everyone's attention to the front of the room. Heads spin around as they tried to find the source of the sound. Uzumaki locked eyes on the floor and Todoroki followed her line of sight, mismatch eyes blinking at the sight of the worm figure on the ground.

The worm figure unzipped himself, revealing a scruffy looking man inside a sleeping bag. The seven o'clock stubble covered his chins as black eyes swept the room, lingering on all of the frozen students. Some of the students shifted in their seats while a few flinched at the looks given to them. The tension in the room seemed to have gotten higher.

"It took ten seconds for all of you to settle down and stop your chit chatting," the man declared. He walked up to the podium and settled his hands on either sides of the podium, his lips pressed into a very thin line.

"I am Aizawa Shouta and I will be your homeroom teacher," Aizawa informed them. He pulled out a gym outfit from the sleeping bag and stared at the silent students. "Wear these gym outfits and meet me in the field."

Todoroki could only wonder what was about to happen.

* * *

_They really don't do anything by halves._ Naruto craned her neck as blue eyes took in the large area that was the sport field. The whole area seemed to be so much larger than the small field her Middle School had. If anything it seemed to be large enough to fit the school that she just recently graduated from. How much money does this school have?

She darted her eyes to her nervous classmates and then to the calm teacher. Something was really strange about this. In her three years of Middle School, Naruto had not once been forced to go to the Sports Field for no reason. The homeroom teacher used to usher them to the main hall, citing the importance of them attending the opening ceremony.

Once the opening ceremony was over, the man would make them go to the career guidance councillor. Naruto always made sure to skip that part. No matter how much the man tried to convince her that it was useful, she just refused to listen.

It was strange that Yuuei High of all places didn't follow the same procedure.

"I brought all of you here for us to do the Quirk Assessment Test."

Silence reined for a whole two minutes as the students processed what was just said. Slowly, their eyes grew large and within seconds:

"_Quirk Assessment Test!"_

The uniform screams of her classmates echoed throughout the field as they stared at Aizawa with betrayed eyes. The man looked unbothered, only sweeping his eyes at the anxious students. She leaned against her foot, flashing a bright, confident smile when black eyes met hers. The man blinked but quickly regained his composure.

_I hope he doesn't call out our Quirks in public._ Naruto felt almost embarrassed at the lack of creativity she had when it came to making her Quirk name. Of all the names she could have used for her Chakra, she had to use the name Chakra. Of course she never actually thought she was going to become a Hero.

At least she was confident her Chakra would make her one of the strongest, if not the strongest candidate in their class.

"What about the opening ceremony? And orientation?" Ochako cried, balling her hands into a tight ball.

Aizawa turned his body around and stared straight at the empty field. "If you want to be a Hero, you don't have time for such leisurely events."

Whispers broke out from all around her as the other students knitted their eyebrows in confusion. Naruto could only press her lips into a thin line, a sense of nostalgia and dread coursing through her. Something about his tone reminded her of the second exam that Team Seven had to take in order for all of them to become Genin.

The exam that they all nearly failed because they didn't know how to work as a damn team.

"Yuuei's selling point is how unrestricted its school traditions are," Aizawa continued; his tone remained monotone and the tension in the atmosphere increased at those words. He turned his emotionless eyes towards them. "That's also how the teacher run their classes."

The whispers became louder as the man turned his whole body towards them. He leaned back as his black eyes locked onto them. He slipped his hand into his right pocket, pulling out a telephone device that showed several fitness test.

"You kids have been doing these since Middle School, too, right?" He flicked the phone. "Physical fitness tests where you weren't allowed to use your Quirks."

The whispers died down at the mention of the compulsory fitness test that all of the students were forced to take in Middle School. It was done in the spirit of fairness but if anyone asked Naruto, her opinion then she would say it was so that the Quirkless kid feels like they have a chance to be on top.

"The country still uses averages taken from results from students not using their Quirks," Aizawa continued. "It's not rational. Well, the Ministry of Education is procrastinating."

He leaned forward and focused his eyes on her. "Uzumaki, you finished at the top of the practical exam, right?"

Everyone swirled their heads at her. Most of the students, except for two boys, gawked at her as their eyes looked her up and down. She could guess immediately what surprised them. Unlike most of the students here, she didn't look like the type of teen that would go the extra mile. She raised her eyebrow when Bakugou narrowed his eyes at her.

She had no reason to answer to him about what her abilities were.

"In middle school, what was your best result for the softball throw?"

Naruto smiled widely. "200 meters."

Whispers broke out at her announcement as their teacher regarded her with suspicion. Several of the students just gaped at her, opening and closing their mouths as if they found it hard to believe that she could throw a ball that far. She might not be muscular like the kids with strength Quirks but there was a reason the Third used to call her a mini-Tsunade.

She could destroy a whole building with just her fist.

"You have got to be kidding me!" A student yelled.

Aizawa-sensei regarded her and tossed her the softball. "Uzumaki, can you please demonstrate without using your Quirk?"

Catching the ball, Naruto nodded and made her way to the middle of the pitch. Whispers surrounded her as her classmates made a path for her. She ignored the curious looks from her classmates and stopped right in the middle of the softball pitch.

She rubbed her shoulder, made the waving motion and pressed her lips into a confident smile before hurling the ball out for everyone to see.

Aizawa knitted his eyebrows and watched as the meter in the phone increased until the softball crashed into the ground. Whispers broke out as several eyebrows shot upwards at the distance the ball flew. Black eyes regarded her as he held the machine up for everyone to see the final score that Naruto had without her chakra.

"What the hell are you? 210 meters?" A spikey red-haired boy yelled. "That's insane."

Her teacher pulled out another softball and tossed it to her. "Since you proved that you can throw that far without your Quirk, shows us what you can do with your Quirk. Try improving your score with your Quirk. You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle."

Naruto bobbed her head, waving her right arm back and forth as she channelled her chakra to her arms. She took a deep breath, ignored the curious whispers breaking out from all around her, and flung the ball with all her strength and chakra combined.

The ball flew straight over the trees, broke through the winds and forcing everyone's hair to fly backwards. Aizawa observed the instrument, black eyes not revealing about the distance the ball was taking, until the ball crashed into the ground. He held the gauge again for everyone to see.

Three kilometres.

It was pretty good when Naruto considered that she hadn't mastered the Chakra Control exercise that Ero-Sennin had given her to practice.

Blue eyes grew large when Midoriya ran up to her, green eyes flashing wildly with curiosity and wonder at the sight in front of them. _I forgot that Midoriya is a hero nut._ While everyone in middle school was too busy showing off their Quirks, Naruto was doing her best to keep her head down and not get close to anyone.

"What exactly is your Quirk?" The purple-haired boy yelled. "Is it super strength or clones?"

Naruto just ignored the question and returned back to her spot. She flashed a wide smile when the boy with the mismatch appearance regarded her. Mismatch eyes stared back at her, looking almost thoughtful but the blond-haired girl ignored it. No one was ever thoughtful when it came towards her. Pretty boys especially, they always seemed to care about themselves.

"You should focus more on your own results then care about what is her Quirk," Aizawa declared, sweeping his eyes at the students. He smiled. "Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential."

Naruto only had one thought at that declaration:

Why must every teacher that comes with the professional job have to do this?

* * *

All of the students showed some form of potential but the one that stood out the most to Aizawa was Uzumaki Naruto. Throughout the whole Quirk Assessment Test, he could only observe the smiling girl. It was not the way she kept beating most of the records of the previous students that made him notice her. The constant upbeat, _fake_ smile playing on her lips was what caught his attention.

The girl was not as happy as she tried to portray herself to be. In the seconds he had to observe her, Uzumaki's voice carried a fake cheer when her middle school classmate greeted her. The smile playing on her lips was filled with pain. Those blue eyes held mistrust and the desire to protect herself from heartache.

Something must have happened to the fifteen-year-old for her to feel that kind of way. Aizawa would only allow himself to interfere once the whole test was over, once he got all the information he needed. The girl needed some kind of help and if the girl became his student, then Aizawa would act accordingly when it came to her.

He would not fail a student, even if said student did worry him about her mental state.

The reply she gave to Sero during the Practical Exam made it clear that Uzumaki knew what was expected out of a hero. The answer had been logical, no one could find a counterargument about it. But the fact she thought it was okay to sacrifice her own life for the job was not okay. He worked as a hero for a long time, had seen colleagues and friends died on the job.

Even the life of a hero was precious and valuable, it should never be taken for granted.

What happened for Uzumaki to think her own life wasn't precious? Nothing about her file could give him any hints about her past. Her birthplace was a mystery, ignored and left blank. The names of her parents was left blank too, almost as if the girl didn't even know who her parents were. Even her Quirk seemed suspicious.

It was so vague that it could even give All Might a run for his money about the description of his Quirk.

"0.50 seconds."

Aizawa blinked and jerked his head at the smiling blond-haired girl. 0.50 seconds? That was incredibly fast, faster than any speed a first-year student was capable of doing…even with their Quirks. He pressed his lips into a thin line and flipped through the sheets, eyebrows scrunched together as her scores revealed that they were out of this world.

It was inhuman even in a world filled with Quirks.

He observed the girl, frowning at the lack of tiredness shown by the girl. A quick look scan of the other students showed they were panting, almost on the brink of exhaustion at the pace in which they were forced to use their Quirks.

Even the son of the number two Hero in Japan seemed exhausted and Aizawa heard rumours of what the man put his son through at home.

_Something isn't adding up when it comes to Uzumaki Naruto._ He flipped through the files and observed the blond-haired girl. No ordinary teenage could do the things she could do, not without having gone through extensive training. The blanks in her files, the vagueness of her Quirk and her capabilities made no sense at all.

He needed to find out more about Uzumaki Naruto and learn about her background.

Something just wasn't adding up when it came to the girl.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think about this chapter? What do you think about my take on Kendou? And of the characters so far?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

Aizawa knocked the door to Uzumaki landlord's apartment and tapped his feet. It hadn't taken long for him to find information about the person who rented Naruto, her apartment. Luckily after some digging through her files, he had been able to pinpoint the owner of her address. The owner must have done some information on Uzumaki before renting out the apartment.

The door opened, revealing a middle-aged man wearing a pair of glasses. The man knitted his eyebrows, black eyes scanning up and down at the sight of his ruffled appearance. "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Hello, my name is Eraserhead." Aizawa pulled out his license and handed it to the man. Black eyes grew large at the sight of him before darting around the area, eyebrows scrunched up together. "And I want to ask you some questions about your tenant: Uzumaki Naruto."

The middle-aged man frowned. "Uzumaki? What about her?"

"I am her homeroom teacher but there are a couple of things that concerns me about your tenant." The man shifted, black eyes avoiding the ever-searching gaze of Aizawa's eyes. He leaned back, hands closing the door but only to find Aizawa blocking the door with his feet. The Hero raised his eyebrow, waiting for him to say something.

"Look I don't know much about Uzumaki." The man tried to slam the door but struggled against Aizawa. The Hero just locked his eyes at him, daring the man to lie to his face about not knowing much about his tenant. There were certain pieces of information that a landlord should know about their tenants.

Like where they lived before.

"I want to know where does Uzumaki come from," Aizawa asked; he kept his tone calm and even as the man tried to slam the door in his face. The most important question for him to fill in the blanks would start from where did his student come from. If he could start looking from her birth place then he could get more information on his mistrustful student.

The landlord shook his head. "I can't answer your question. When Uzumaki came to live in my apartment, there were certain details in our agreement that makes me incapable of answering your questions."

"You are withholding information from a Hero," Aizawa said dryly.

The man pressed his lips into a thin line. "Look this piece of information is something I can't provide, not just because it voids the contract I made with her but also with the agreement I made with her Guardian."

_Guardian?_ Aizawa tilted his head and stared at the shifty man in front of him. This was the first time he ever heard the mention of Uzumaki having a guardian. From what he read in her files, Uzumaki was alone and didn't have anyone to support her. There had been no mention of a guardian or parents in her form.

There had been no one for her emergency contact.

"Then could I meet with her Guardian? Do you have his contact details? Or where I can even find him?"

Letting out a sigh, the landlord slumped his shoulder and locked his eyes at him. There was a clear tiredness in the man, making Aizawa wonder what was the agreement made by the man and his student's Guardian.

"The man comes and goes like a ghost," the landlord explained. "I don't know where he lives or if he even is in the country. Even when he is in the country, I doubt he will visit Uzumaki. From what I understood from my limited interaction with Uzumaki that they haven't talk since she live in my apartment."

Aizawa kept his expression completely blank as he processed the information given to him. His fifteen-year-old student had a Guardian but hasn't talked to him since she found a place to live. This was both interesting and disturbing if you asked him. Why haven't they talk to each other? There was a story behind this.

There was also another thing he wanted to know.

"Do you know anything about Uzumaki and her parents?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, the landlord replied. "I know that Uzumaki doesn't have any parents and that she lost them to a some Villain attack."

The Underground Hero raised his eyebrow at this piece of information. Was it possible his student wanted to get revenge against the people that killed her family? It wouldn't make sense. The law made it clear that such actions were against heroic duties. His student also didn't seem to harbour any hints or tendency of people seeking revenge.

He frowned and thought of another question to ask.

"And how old was Uzumaki when she lost her parents?"

The landlord shrugged. "From what I know from her Guardian, Uzumaki was barely a day old when the Villain attacked their home," he sighed. "Look I don't know much about her. I don't make it a point to get to know my tenants; all I care about is her rent money. I just have the added bonus of keeping an eye on her."

Aizawa grimaced and stared at the confident eyes of the landlord. There was one thing that nagged him now that he knew about Uzumaki's living situation. If the girl did have a guardian then why wasn't the man paying for the rent? Why did Uzumaki have to bring in the money to pay for the rent? And why wasn't he living with Uzumaki?

Something didn't make sense.

"Explain to me why does Uzumaki have to pay for her rent when she has a Guardian capable of paying it for her." The man gulped when Aizawa narrowed his eyes at him. His student was just fifteen. She shouldn't be forced to work when there was someone, who could provide for her. She should be more focused on her studies instead of bills and rent.

The man backed away and attempted again to slam the door, but Aizawa pulled the door open and slid towards the nervous man. He grabbed hold of the man, black eyes promising a lifetime of trouble if the man didn't start talking. His student should never be exploited in this way.

"Her Guardian does pay for her rent," the man cried out. Aizawa blinked at this piece of information and raised his eyebrow at the man. "But Uzumaki doesn't know about it. Her guardian made it clear to me that Uzumaki should never know about it. He threatened to never give me a sneak peek of his next book if the girl finds out that he has been doing this. Please don't tell her!"

Aizawa observed the man. The panic in the landlord's voice made it clear to the Hero that the landlord was telling the truth. This guy must be some kind of author for the man to be visibly distressed at the thought of not getting the sneak peak of the man's book. _A very good author_, Aizawa decided as he stared at the anxious man.

It took a lot of guts to try and lie to a Hero.

"Why doesn't he want Uzumaki to know he has been paying her rent? And what do you do with her rent money?" Aizawa finally asked.

The man darted his eyes around the floor, relaxing his shoulders when he saw that it was still just the two of them on the outside.

"Her guardian said that if she knows he has been paying for her rent then she might pay him back for the money," he admitted. "He claims that Uzumaki might think he wants something from her and that he doesn't believe Uzumaki can take care of himself. The girl wouldn't believe her Guardian did it out of love for her. The money that Naruto gives me is the money that her Guardian wants me to put into her account for when he dies. She will only be able to access it when he dies."

_The girl wouldn't believe…_

The hero curled his lips into a frown and flickered his eyes to the door across of them, where Uzumaki lived. This piece of information just confirmed one thing about his student. The fifteen-year-old girl did have trust issues, trust issues so severe that it affected the relationship between her and her Guardian.

But where did it start from? And was there any other signs that he needed to worry about? Aizawa knew from experience that kids like Uzumaki did have habits that could bring out self-destruction. The girl might be working but there must be things that she had done as a way to prove the world was just cruel to her.

"Does Uzumaki have any friends that she brings over here? Or make any parties?" He asked. "She is a teenage girl living by herself and it isn't a stretch to think she does this kind of thing."

The man pressed his lips into a thin line. "Uzumaki? The girl has always been by herself. She just comes back home from work late and locks herself in there. No one goes in and out of that apartment. Sometimes when you look at her, you don't really feel like she is actually living life."

No friends, working overtime and no contact with her Guardian made Aizawa think that maybe it was time he talked to the girl about going to therapy. He might need to change some plans about how he might run about the Class President, because Aizawa couldn't let the girl continue like this.

Uzumaki wouldn't go far if she doesn't battle her inner demons.

* * *

The Hero department of Yuuei High split their teaching into two parts: the morning had them learning general classes while the afternoon handled the hero training class. The jump from middle school to high school wasn't that large if you asked Naruto, with some of the things they were learning were things she learnt in Konoha.

The only class she struggled in the morning was the English class. It was the one subject she struggled even in middle school since the language was just too different from Japanese. Maybe if she could finally figure out a tourist from her workplace then Naruto probably would get them to tutor her.

She was grateful when the morning ended and she could go eat lunch. She barely paid much attention when her fellow classmates made comment on how Aizawa-sensei wasn't in class this morning to take their attendance. She had missed the train, which meant she ended up being late for class.

Naruto sighed and scanned the cafeteria for an empty table. All of the students seemed to have taken at least one of the table. The girl Kendou seemed to be sitting with a group of her classmates. Green eyes spotted her, a cheerful smile played on her lips as Kendou waved for her to sit with her. Naruto flashed a fake smile and shook her head.

Kendou slumped her shoulders.

Blue eyes continued to scan the canteen for another seat. She ignored the waves from Nejire and her friends, pretending not to notice the pout from her senior. Midoriya seemed to be chatting with his new found friends, his green eyes darting towards her and silently telling her that she could sit with them.

Too risky if you asked her. Midoriya was probably going to pester her about her Quirk, the Quirk that she made up because there was no way to explain it. Her classmate didn't actually want to get to know her or anything like that. He also didn't need protecting since he seem to have found a group of people who liked him.

Her eyes landed on the mismatch boy in her class. There was a whole table left to him with no one taking a seat right beside him. She took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face, before making her way towards the one classmate that Naruto knew wouldn't give a shit about her.

Todoroki was the pretty boy of their class, maybe their whole year and that meant only one thing to Naruto. He was the asshole that only cared about himself. Almost every pretty boy, Naruto knew was like that. It was ingrained into them to act like assholes. A wave of fangirls confessing their love to them was always met with indifference.

Friendships meant nothing to these people and this asshole probably wouldn't bother her.

"Can I take a seat?" Naruto asked, putting her bowl of ramen on the table. The boy looked up from his soba noodles, mismatch eyebrows furrowed at the sight of her, and nodded.

Naruto flashed him another smile and began stirring her ramen, blue eyes focused on her food. It surprised her to learn the school had a hero making them meals or that the meals could be so affordable.

She slurped her noodles, pretending not to notice the way her classmate kept flickering his eyes at her. If he had a problem with her table manners then Todoroki could go somewhere else, because Naruto was going to savour the taste of her favourite ramen. Those mismatch eyes weren't enough to make her move away.

Even if those mismatch eyes flared with so much hate and anger and had hints of curiosity.

"Why did you ask to sit if you already made your decision?"

Naruto looked away from the noodles and stared at Todoroki's eyes. Her brain tried to see if there was any hidden agenda behind his question. Did he think she was a fangirl? Todoroki was good-looking, probably one of the best-looking guys she had ever seen, but her classmate didn't seem like the kind of guy that counted his fangirls.

She saw no benefit for her to answer him.

"Because you look so _friendly."_

Todoroki blinked and knitted his eyebrows together. His mismatch eyes flashed with so much confusion that Naruto just had to wonder if the guy understood that she was being _sarcastic._

"I look friendly?"

_He is clueless._ Naruto could not stop herself from gawking at the befuddled boy right in front of her. It seemed like the guy only understood blunt statements, because nothing about what she said was the truth. Out of everyone in their class, Todoroki was the least friendly one.

It was saying something when they had a classmate like Bakugou.

"You look like an absolute asshole," Naruto declared. Todoroki blinked and the blond-haired girl slurped on her noodles, blue eyes focused on those mismatch eyes. "Assholes don't seem to give a shit about other people so I know you won't ask me any questions. This suits me just fine."

Todoroki frowned. "Why do you think I'm an asshole?"

It was probably a terrible idea to answer him but Naruto knew she wasn't the type to make the right decisions. She probably was going to regret this later like she always did. This was probably going to bite her in the ass later.

"Your eyes are really cold," Naruto put down her chopsticks and stared at her classmate. "They are so cold that it doesn't allow anyone to get to know you."

Todoroki made no comment about her words, didn't even try to convince her that she was wrong. All he did was just stare at her with a blank expression, mismatch eyes not revealing his feelings at her words. All he did was just tilt his head, stared at her thoughtfully before continuing to eat his soba noodles in peace.

It was probably a terrible idea for her to get close to someone like Todoroki. Guys like Todoroki always ended up ruining her trust. Todoroki probably was not going to care about her.

He probably was going to call her names and insult her because that was what everyone did.

She probably was going to be the biggest idiot for talking to him, but Naruto could never break old habits.

* * *

"_Your eyes are really cold."_

Uzumaki's words kept playing in the back of Todoroki's mind even when lunch ended and it was time for their first lesson on their training. All of their classmates seemed to be too busy chatting with each other, but all he could do was just stare at his classmate that still had a fake smile playing on her lips.

Todoroki never thought about what he looked like to other people. It never crossed his mind what his eyes looked like to other people, not when he never liked looking at the mirror. The sight of the mirror meant looking at his scar-face and Todoroki never liked the sight of his face.

The sight of his scar was not just a reminder of what his mother did to him, but it reminded him of just how much he looked like his old man. He hated how much he looked like the asshole.

"So Uzumaki, what do you think of All Might being our teacher?" The blond-haired boy asked, turning around to stare at their smiling classmate.

Uzumaki tilted her hard and shrugged her shoulder. "I don't really care."

Todoroki locked his eyes on his classmates as everyone stared at the girl with gawking expressions. The only one, who didn't seem to be surprise by the answer was that Bakugou. He just snorted, folded his arms against his chest and locked eyes on the door. The boy Midoriya frowned, seeming just as confused as this answer.

Todoroku doubt that Uzumaki didn't care about All Might teaching them. For the last two days, he noticed the girl did care about people…even if she closed herself off from them. When Midoriya broke his finger, Uzumaki was one of the first people to be alarmed.

It was the only time when Uzumaki showed worry for someone else.

"I _am,"_ The door to the classroom slid open, a loud voice instantly booming across the class, followed by a bright laugh, "coming through the door like a normal person."

Todoroki's eyes instantly went straight to the front of the room and then to his classmate. Uzumaki's eyes grew large and a sight hint of amusement flashed before her eyes. The amusement faded, replaced by a look of sadness and nostalgia at the sight of All Might.

He should be overjoyed at the fact that his childhood hero was here, but all Todoroki could do was focus on his classmate. He didn't understand why the sight of All Might could bring out such emotions from her. Everyone was enamoured by the man. Their classmates sat straight, chatting to each other about his arrival, but Uzumaki just hunched her shoulders.

"I teach Foundational Hero Training." All Might place his hands on his hips and locked eyes on the excited students. "Foundational Hero Training is a subject where you train in different ways to learn the basics of being a hero. You will take the most units of this subject!"

All Might struck a pose, winding his arm backwards as his muscular body coiled back tight like a bow. He whipped around, brandishing a card for all of them to see. Everyone knitted their eyebrows at the English word for battle.

Todoroki's eyes flickered to Uzumaki. Blue eyes continued to grow even sadder and sadder as the man explained to them about what they were going to do for their first lesson. He glanced at his other classmates, noticing for the first time that none of them seemed to have noticed the pain in Uzumaki's eyes.

"_You look so __**friendly.**_"

"_Assholes don't seem to give a shit about other people."_

He knew Uzumaki was right to say he wasn't friendly. It should annoy him that his classmate acted rude to him, called him out of his behaviour but Uzumaki made him sound like he was Endeavour. He was nothing like that shitty old man. His shitty old man never cared about how his mother felt, always caring about what he wanted.

Todoroki wasn't like that. He knew Uzumaki had issues just like his mother had. No one ever asked his mother about how she felt. His brothers and sister were too young to comfort their mother. They probably never thought to ask about her feelings or tried to help her in their own way.

He wasn't able to help his mother but Todoroki wanted to help Uzumaki. Maybe he was wrong but the first step of showing that he did care was maybe to ask the question:

"Are you okay, Uzumaki?"

His classmate tore her eyes away from All Might, swirling her head at him as her bright blue eyes grew wide at his question. A large smile played on her lips as Uzumaki said, "I am fine."

He observed his smiling classmate. The words 'I am fine' had a cheer towards them but Uzumaki's lips trembled, almost like she was just trying to convince herself that she was fine. She wasn't fine but didn't want to tell him or anyone that she was hurting.

Maybe he should ask her about what was troubling her.

Todoroki darted his eyes to their other classmates, who were now getting off of their seats and making their way towards the slots that had slid out of the wall. None of them seemed to be paying much attention to him or Uzumaki. They were more excited about their chance to wear their battle gear than to notice their other classmates.

"_Would you even be willing to talk to someone about their issues if someone suddenly asks you? What could you do?"_ A voice in the back of his mind asked him, making him pause at what he was going to say next. He wouldn't want to talk to people about what happened between his mother and him, or what Endeavour did to him.

He didn't even know what to say to her. Todoroki doubt Uzumaki would suddenly open her heart and tell him about the problems she had as a child. The fake smile and the lies were enough to tell him this, but he couldn't just keep quiet.

Todoroki needed to know what to do to get Uzumaki to open up to him.

'_Natsuo, are you sure that you want to be a counsellor?"_

The words from over a year ago echoed in Todoroki's ear as his eyes followed Uzumaki. His sister asked the question when Natsuo informed them of his degree. Endeavour didn't care, only grunting before leaving for work. Fuyumi had been concern for some reason, maybe she explained it but Todoroki probably didn't pay attention to it.

This was probably something his brother might have some knowledge on how to deal with someone like Uzumaki.

~X~

Even though all of her classmates were excited about their hero costumes and the fact All Might was teaching them, Naruto could only feel indifference. She felt like an observer as Uraraka and Midoriya chatted in excitement about the class, while another classmate openly leered at one of the girls.

'_Welcome to your first day of the Academy! I want everyone to introduce each other: tell us your name, your likes and dislikes and your dream for the future.'_

Maybe she just felt indifferent because Naruto never wanted to become a Hero so badly like her classmates.

Naruto shook her head and stared at All Might. The hero locked his blue eyes and the large smile playing on his lips faltered slightly at the sight of her. Those eyes seemed to have grown slightly larger, looking at her like she was some kind of ghost from his past. He darted his eyes to Bakugou and then to her.

He was probably like their old classmates.

'_Uzumaki, you know you and Bakugou look kind of similar.'_

It had been one of the first words spoken by one of their female classmates in middle school. Naruto could only see the resemblance with the shape of their nose, but everything else about them was different. Her parents had come from Konoha or so Naruto would like to think. The Third Hokage never really told her anything about her parents.

'_When you become a Chunin or when you turn sixteen then I promise you that I will tell you everything that you want to know about your parents."_

"_What if you die, old man? Who would tell me about my parents? You are not getting any younger!"_

"_I'm not going to die any time soon, Naruto."_

"_You better not! I wanna take that hat from you!"_

She balled her hands into a fist and forced herself to smile even harder. Tears threatened to break out of her eyes as it always did whenever Naruto remembered the Third Hokage. He broke his promise to her. The fear that he would die before she could find out about her parents came true. It wasn't his fault that Orochimaru killed him.

It was her fault for believing that the Third would live long enough to tell her the truth.

"Young Uzumaki!" Naruto blinked back to herself and out of her painful thoughts to realize All Might stood right in front of her. A bright smile was plastered on his face as his blue eyes locked on her.

The man was the greatest hero of all time and was considered the Pillar of Hope in Japan. But Naruto felt like just another nameless citizen in front of this man. All Might didn't actually see her. She was just another face to him, insignificant and unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

She was just another face to him.

"Yes?" She smiled brightly and pulled herself back together as All Might stared at her. His blue eyes seemed focus on her long blond-hair and her own blue eyes, darting occasionally to Bakugou.

"Take a letter from the box, if you will!" All Might gave the box in her hand a small jostle. She stared blankly for a moment, trying to understand what the hell happened. With an even bigger smile, she pulled out a letter from the box. She realized that half of her classmates pulled their letters and had been waiting for her to pull it out.

"Just had to pray for good luck!" she lied and stared down at her letter. She got the letter C. She looked around to see what was happening as the rest of her classmates pulled out their letters.

"You didn't pay attention." Todoroki observed as she darted her eyes around. Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line, glancing down at his letter and saw he had the letter B. She finally bobbed her head, waiting for him to say something rude.

What he did next, surprised her.

"We are being split up into either being heroes or villains," Todoroki explained; his tone was calm and quiet as the box was carried to the next person. "And we are going to be fighting a 2-on-2 indoor battle. The person with the same letter is your teammate. There is going to be one team with three people."

She expected him to insult her for not paying attention, not being patient while explaining to her about what they were going to do in the class. _He probably doesn't want things to be held up or for a scene to be made._ This was the only reasonable explanation for why he acted like this.

Pretty boys weren't patient and they were rude little shits that only cared about themselves.

"Everyone find your teammates!"

Naruto flashed a tight smile to her classmate and began searching for her partner or partners. Three people. She didn't know how to feel about being or watching a group of three students. Arguments would arise. Memories of Team Seven would play out and the thought of her old team brought a bitter pang to her heart.

'_Why do I have to be put in the same team as him!"_

"_No! I am in the same team as her!"_

Her throat burned every time that memory plays out in her mind as she forced herself to smile hard at her classmates.

"Whiskers!" Naruto swirled her head around as Bakugou grabbed hold of her wrist. She yanked her wrist away from him, raising a lone blond eyebrow at him. He held out his letter, scowling at her as he did so. Team D was the team that Bakugou was in. Naruto shook her head, held up her own letter and the bastard scowled even harder.

She didn't understand why Bakugou always seem to act strange around her.

"Uzumaki, can I please check your letter?" Yaoyorozu asked politely, walking up to her. _She feels too nervous about her outfit._ It was the first thought to come to Naruto's mind as the black-haired girl tried to ignore the leery looks of the purple-haired boy coming from behind them.

The amount of skin that Yaoyorozu showed didn't seem like much if you asked Naruto. It made sense when she thought of what the girl needed to do with her Quirk, but the girl needed to own it. Confidence was hard to build when one had no experience with revealing clothes, or doing inappropriate things.

The Kunoichi lessons they had always made it a point for them to learn the importance of seduction. It had been the lesson Naruto enjoyed the most, beside taijutsu. She learnt how men could be putty with just the right words and actions.

'_Naru-chan, I just can't do those things! Kiba-kun…"_

"_That's why you should practise! The mutt wouldn't know what hits him if you flirt with him a little and tease him just a little.'_

"So the three of us are going to be working together," Momo declared, letting out a sigh of relief. Naruto bobbed her head, blue eyes focused on the little pervert that had drool leaking out of his mouth. Her female classmate shifted again, her pale hands attempting to cover herself up from the teen's gaze.

"Uzumaki, what are you doing?" Naruto ignored her teammate's question and picked up her male teammate by his cape. If the three of them were going to be working together then it was time for her to let the pervert know who run this show.

She smiled brightly and closed her eyes at the boy. "Sweet, sweet Mineta…if you keep this up then you are going to die a lonely death. No girl is ever going to look your fucking way if you act like a dog. Now get your act together or I will do it for you."

The boy gulped and bobbed his head while Momo shot her a grateful look.

Naruto just wanted to do well in her lesson; she didn't do it because Momo reminded her of Hinata with her lack of self-confidence.

'_Liar.'_

She wasn't a liar because liars knew what was the truth and what was a lie.

Naruto didn't even know what parts of her was her real self and what parts of her was just a lie to cope with what happened.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. There has been a slight change to the chapter to explain what happens with Naruto's rent money. Do tell me what you think about the interactions between the characters and how you feel about the changes.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

**(12 years ago)**

Uzumaki Naruto was, at the time, three years old when she realized just how different she was from the other children in her orphanage.

It was a memory she barely remembers, considering how young she was. When a child turned three, they should be able to freely show their emotions. Are you happy? Are you sad? Those were questions a child should freely express their answers. The importance of showing a person's real emotion was important in the development of a child.

The room she and another five girls stayed in had been the smallest room in the orphanage had to offer. _Asami, Emica, Koharu, Kokoro and Nozomi._ Those were their names. Only those five girls and the matron because Naruto couldn't remember anything else in that small, cold room in that little world she knew.

There was only one thing that set her a part from the other girls. All six of them had been born in the same year, with different months in between them but Naruto had been the only one born on October 10. Naruto never fully comprehend what was the significance of her birth the moment Asami announced the rules of her newly adopted parents.

The six of them had been seated on Asami's bed. It had been one of the bigger beds that could fit two of the girls and sometimes when the matron was asleep, they would eat chocolate. It was their little secret because the Matron never liked it whenever they ate Chocolate. Especially Naruto.

"My new Mommy says I can't hang out with you," Asami said softly, eyes setting on Naruto. At the tender age of three, Naruto doesn't fully understand what it means. She was just merely upset her friend was getting adopted, leaving her alone with the other girls. The other girls blinked, eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"All of us?" Emica asked.

Asami shook her head, eyes fixated on the teary-eyed Naruto. "Only _her._ She says as soon as I'm in her house then I can't ever play with _her."_

Naruto's eyes widened, lips trembling as she found the usual warm eyes of her friend turning so icy-cold. The other girls were frowning, their eyes darting at her and then to their friend, asking for the oldest girl to explain—_explain what? Mi-chan you're making the other girls sad._ Naruto rubbed her eyes and met Asami's cold eyes gazing back at her.

"She is a monster and the reason all of you can't get new parents."

Her friends swirled their heads at her, eyes looking at her like it was really her fault that none of them could be adopted. _Monster? But I'm not a monster._ She defended Asami whenever one of the boys pulled her hair. Maybe she shouldn't punch him but he deserve it. He made her cry. That didn't make her a monster.

"I'm not a monster!" She yells again and again. Tears spilled out of her eyes and Naruto wanted one of her friends to comfort her. But children believed the words of an adult and the desire to be adopted was greater than any desire to protect their friends.

"You're a monster!"

"Monster!"

They circled around her, jeering and calling her the name Monster as Asami tells them of how they could be adopted. _My name isn't Monster. Grandma called me her little Naru-chan, her maelstorm._ Tears pooled out of her blue eyes and Naruto yanks the girls by the hair. She punches and kicks them, ignoring their cries for her to stop.

They didn't stop with the name calling and Naruto would get even.

The door to their room slammed open after the fifth scream and the matron stormed in. The screams and cries stopped and Naruto let go of Asami's ponytail. Cold eyes locked onto her but Naruto didn't understand why she looked at her like that. _Why does she look at me like I'm a monster? They started it._ She feels even more tears pouring out of her eyes.

"What happened?" Matron asked. She never looked at Naruto, only locking eyes on Asami. The Matron never really looked at Naruto. She never called her by her name and never paid much attention to her.

Koharu smoothed her hair, smiled innocently and pointed at Naruto. "She started a fight with Mi-chan! She started the whole stupid fight!"

Blue eyes widened and Naruto balled her hands into a fist. "She said that my name from now on is Monster! My name is Naruto! I'm Naru-chan!"

She waits for a hug like the matron used to give to the other kids whenever someone feels hurt from the name-calling. The matron hugged Haruto after one of the older boys called him buck-tooth. _She will tell them that they are mean. _She waited for her to scold them because that was what an adult should do.

Those cold eyes turned even colder as they locked onto her. "Why do you look at me like that? You are a monster and monsters like you don't deserve to cry."

_Granny would have comforted me._ She cried harder, hoping the matron would take back those words and comfort her. It did not. The old lady just scowled at her and smacked her hard on the face, screaming and yelling at her that she didn't deserve to cry.

"Monsters like you don't deserve to get comfort or cry."

None of the children came to rescue her.

That day Naruto learnt that her tears and feelings didn't matter to anyone.

* * *

_There are several ways for them to enter._

Naruto examined the map calmly. She ignored the leering looks from Mineta and the furrowed eyebrows from Yaoyorozu as several plans formed in her head. Blue eyes darted at all the possible entrances that their classmates could take. The back entrance was a terrible place to enter in an ordinary scenario since they needed to break the locked window.

These people would need to go from the front entrance. The less sound they could make, the better when it came to infiltration. Any rookie could tell you that but it was also very dangerous.

"Kaminari can use lightening, right?" Naruto asked.

Yaoyorozu nodded. "And Jirou's Quirk works like a headphone cable."

_Headphone cable? So she could listen to things? Would that make her ears more susceptible to sound?_ She flickered her eyes to her classmate. The girl looked a little bit creeped out as Mineta fixated his perverse eyes on the rather large breasts of her fellow female. The boy leaned closer, his hand reaching forward…

Naruto slapped his hands and blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "You get your head out of the gutter and focus on the job ahead. You got a brain, don't you? Start helping us of thinking of a way to win this battle and not how you can sneak a feel."

"Y-Yes, ma'am." Mineta stuttered.

Yaoyorozu smiled and relaxed her shoulders as the purple-haired boy fixed his eyes on the map. He tilted his head, eyebrows scrunched together and flickered between the two girls. Naruto ignored his questioning look and just stared at the map. Several plans formed in her head but the blonde was torn on which plan to go with.

"Uzumaki, thank you." Yaoyorozu said quietly.

Naruto kept her eyes fixated on the map. "When it comes to perverts, you ignore those shits and act like you are the Head Bitch in Charge. You don't act like a wallflower."

"His eyes are…"

"He won't be the first boy to look at you like that and he definitely won't be the last if you choose to stick with that costume. So own that costume and show the pervert that you run the show, not him." Her classmate looked put off by her comment. Naruto didn't care what the girl thought of her comment. Mineta was a pervert, a terrible pervert but he didn't try to hide it.

All boys were perverts in their own ways but some boys hid it better than others. Naruto released a sigh and observed her female teammate. Her eyes lingered on her scrunched eyebrows and the hunched back as those dainty fingers traced the map.

Mineta poked Naruto on the shoulder and the blond-haired girl swirled her head around. "Can't we use your clones to fight them? You can just overpower them with those clones and we will win."

Naruto regarded the boy and mulled over his suggestion. There was nothing wrong about it and it made sense with what he knew about her Chakra. But it was just too boring. A good villain would never be this predictable. Booby traps would be set, someone would be kidnapped and all kind of shit.

"But Uzumaki will be doing all the work and we wouldn't learn anything," Yaoyorozu pointed out. "It isn't fair for us."

"We have to capture them and Kaminari's Quirk is really powerful."

_Capture them? Our goal is to capture them._ Naruto turned the map around and closed her eyes. Yaoyorozu could make anything if the Quirk Assessment Test were of any indication. Mineta had a terrible, weak Quirk but it would be useful in a situation like theirs.

"We just have to capture them," Naruto muttered. The teens swirled their heads and glanced at each other with furrowed eyebrows. "We don't have to fight them."

"It is a battle trial," Yaoyorozu frowned. "That implies we have to fight the Heroes at some point."

She shook her head. "All Might never mentioned that we _must_ fight them. If we were to think like Villains then would we really want to waste our time to fight them? Would we allow anyone to come in so easily? Only a stupid Villain would do something like this."

"You want to set a trap, don't you?" Mineta asked.

Naruto nodded and flickered her eyes to the window. The blond-haired girl turned off her earpiece, channelled her chakra to her ear and then pressed it against the wall. A good prankster always knew to observe and learn about their targets or else the prank would just go terribly wrong.

Pranks were the best way to test a person's intelligence if you asked her.

She could hear the conversation between Kaminari and Jirou. The front entrance was decided on. No one would think they would come from there was the reason the kids decided on. Naruto poked her tongue against her cheek, flickered her eyes to her teammates.

"Yaoyorozu, can you make wires? And spray paint? And maybe a couple of ping pong balls?" Her classmate nodded and Naruto flickered her eyes to her perverted classmate. "Mineta, is it possible for me to do…"

Mineta's eyes grew large at her plans while her other female classmate tilted her head at her, eyebrows inching higher and higher as the girl explained her plans. This might be the longest conversation that Naruto spoke in a while, but the art of trap making should never be taken lightly.

It was an art that one should worship if you asked her. The best kind of revenge was always those traps that no one ever thought about. The kind that lurked right underneath their noses and took people by surprise.

"Do you guys have anything to add? Do you think we should change my idea?" The two students shook their heads as the blond-haired girl poked her head to the window. The timer would go off to tell them that the battle had started and considering she spent most of the time, explaining her plan.

Well she might need speed up on making those clones to finish the job quickly.

* * *

"Rational judgement is a key component in battle. While the previous team were too quick to act with their emotions, it seems that Team C and Team J are showing better control over their emotions. Can anyone tell me where they can improve on?"

All Might scanned his curious students. His blue eyes lingered on the shadowed lines belonging to Bakugou. The boy had been very quiet since he lost to young Midoriya and seemed to have grown even quieter when it was declared that the next match was Uzumaki.

It did not escape his notice how much Uzumaki looked eerily similar to the missing boy from nearly 33 years ago. The girl had the same bright blond hair and blue eyes with the only difference was that Uzumaki had straight hair. The missing boy had spiky blond hair.

Tsuyu raised her hand. "They aren't preparing themselves properly? Uzumaki seemed to have made all the decisions and the others are going ahead with her plans."

He shook his head and locked his eyes on Uzumaki. The girl seemed intent on sitting between Mineta and Yaoyorozu, acting as the barrier between them. It had been his concern when it revealed that there were two girls with the perverted boy.

However Uzumaki cleared his worries when she promptly put Mineta in his place.

"Uzumaki did discuss with them about the plans," All Might reminded them. "She had put all of their Quirks into consideration and made a very elaborate plan. All of you just should have paid closer…"

"Whiskers planned to trap them," Bakugou interjected. Everyone swirled their heads at the boy, raising their eyebrows at what made the hot-headed boy come to the conclusion. He grunted and jerked his finger to the monitor that showed the front entrance. "But her plan requires her to presume that those extras are going from the front entrance."

"Why the hell do you call us, Extras?" Kirishima grumbled.

Bakugou ignored the complaint and focused on the monitor. "If you look carefully on the floor then you could clearly see that Grape Boy's balls are there; they just spray painted it."

_That is one observation._ All Might could point out another one, but he would wait for the other students to realize what Team C planned. Those wires and ping-pong balls were not things he expected from them. The level of planning shown was not one he expected from them. All Might never suspected one of them would use a loop-hole.

It was a dirty tactic but Team C were acting as villains. All Might could count the number of times when a Villain didn't try to act sneaky. The villains who planned ahead and created traps like the one Uzumaki did, were the ones to watch out for. You could never be certain about what their next steps were or what their morals might be.

All Might always felt the most weariest whenever he fought those villains.

"When did they put wires?" Kirishima yelled as Kaminari tripped over the wire in front of the front entrance. A cluster of ping-pong balls shot and smoke erupted from them, enveloping the monitor screen. Nothing could be seen and the only sounds All Might could hear was Jirou screaming and yelling while Kaminari released lightening.

Laughter echoed from the monitor.

"Don't underestimate a master prankster like Boss!" A voice crackled. If All Might had to judge from the sound, he presumed Uzumaki's clone stood just right behind Kaminari. He winced as the boy screamed to Jirou about how he was stuck and how he seemed to have somehow managed to stick himself to the floor.

Uzumaki was giving everyone the unintentional lesson of keeping an eye on their surroundings, because All Might doubt that he wold have considered of making it a lesson.

_Then again no one would expect her to do this._ All Might stared at the fading smoke on the monitor and sighed when it revealed the tied up bodies of Jirou and Kaminari. Right beside them were the copies of Uzumaki. He let out a laugh when the clones high-fived each other, grinning wildly and poking their tongues out at the scene.

"They really fought dirty," Tsuyu commented, tilting her head at them.

"Yeah! They didn't even give them a chance to fight! It's unmanly!"

Todoroki frowned. "It's unfair but when you consider the roles that they were given then it would be expected for them to do something like this."

"What kind of Villains gives them a chance to attack?" Bakugou added on. "It is a better idea for them to make a trap then give them an opportunity to attack."

Kirishima frowned and innocently asked. "If you knew that then why didn't you do that?"

Bakugou growled. "You wanna die, Spikey?"

All Might felt his lips twitched as the two boys argued over what Bakugou did in his match. The boy made an astute judgement on the actions done by Uzumaki. He flickered his eyes at Uzumaki, pressing his lips into a subtle frown when the golden rays from the sun hit her blond-hair.

When the girl didn't smile and the sun hit her in that position, All Might could almost see the missing sad boy from 33 years ago standing right before him. Except the boy had been a six-year-old child without a Quirk, while Uzumaki had a very powerful Quirk that seemed to have very little drawbacks.

"What can all of you take from this?" All Might questioned them, breaking up the argument that was bound to take place. The students quiet down, tilted their heads and mulled over the fight that had taken place.

Iida raised his hand up. "That Villains could prepare traps from the very beginning and so we must fully consider all the parameters before entering their lair?"

"Correct."

_Also that maybe I should word my sceneries where the students can't do traps like these. I doubt even a professional would have expected a bunch of kids to make a plan like this._

Kaminari and Jirou would have stood a better chance against the three students if All Might made it clear that he expected them to fight with a plan. He should never presume those kids would never find a loophole in his announcement.

Next time, he would make things fair for them.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the interactions between the characters?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows, as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_Why aren't they looking at me?_

It was a question Naruto asked after a year of living in the streets. A question that haunted her as she stared at the passing people. All of them ignored her. None of them bother to look away from the streets ahead and put even a simple coin in her jar. If they ever glanced at her then their eyes turned cold as ice and they ignored her.

Naruto didn't understand. She cradled her legs close to her body, tucked her head on the top of her knees and wished for some warmth. The box she used as shelter, was not warm enough for the winter ahead. It was pure luck that she survived the last winter. She does not even remember how she survived that cold winter.

"_S-Some money! Just some money!"_ Naruto asked. She felt her fingers trembled as the cold wind nipped the bones of her finger. An old lady stopped and her hand reached down to her bag, pulling out a wallet. She perked up and thinks that maybe people were kind.

The lady froze at the sight of her and the warm smile faded from her face. The gentle features of her face turned sharp and hard as her eyes fixated on her whisker marks. _Why are they giving me those looks?_ She forced herself to keep smile even after the lady turned her nose away.

Snow began to fall down, touching her face and it should have been a beautiful sight. But all Naruto could feel was fear. _Am I going to survive the next winter? The trees won't be a nice place to feel warmth._ She took a couple of deep breaths, prayed to God and began pleading again for some more money.

She knew she could always hunt but winter was coming and the waters would freeze. There would be no fishes for her to catch and Naruto knew the restaurants would never give her food without money. She saw them kicking a man out because he didn't have any money on him. Naruto didn't want that for herself.

A nice, _young_ couple walks by and Naruto grabbed their clothes.

'_S-Some money. Can I have some money?"_ She wanted them to help her. To give her some money so she could get some food. She wasn't asking them to give her food. She didn't want them to adopt her. All Naruto wanted was for them to treat her with some kindness and give her the money needed to eat.

The man pried her hands away from the woman's skirt. "_We don't give money to __**beggers.**__'_

She falls down and hits the hard ground. Blue eyes turned completely blank as the couple brushed away the dirt from her hands and whispered to each other. _Why is she still alive?_ Naruto doesn't understand why those adults asked that question. She doesn't understand why no one wanted to be kind to her.

She wanted someone not to hate her.

Naruto looked up at the grey skies and the white clouds floating through. There had been someone nice to her. There had been a kind old lady who had been kind to her. She doesn't remember what her name was or what happened to her. But Naruto thinks she remembers the warmth that old lady gave her, the smiles given to her and the love in those eyes.

The image is blurry and Naruto hates how she was forgetting who that old lady was.

Maybe it was her imagination and maybe she was a monster. Monsters didn't get treated nicely. They were the bad guys. Bad guys hurt people and since they think she was a monster, then she could hurt them. She wants them to pay.

"_What happened to you, child? What are you doing here in the streets?"_

Naruto looked up and blinks at the sight of a sad, elderly man standing right in front of her. He looked kinda of funny in the eyes of the six-year-old. He wore long white robes and a strange hat. But what really stood out was the warmth and sadness shining through his eyes.

She eyed him, rubbed her scratched cheeks and darted her eyes to the robes. She thinks there were some words behind his robe but Naruto couldn't read yet. The one time she tried to teach herself how to read, the matron threw a fit and told her that she doesn't deserve how to read.

Naruto waited for him to leave but the man just continued to stare at her with horror.

'_Why do you care, Old man?'_

The man frowned and looked so sad by her words. _No one ever looks at me like that._ She fluttered her eyelashes and feels just a little bit of hope stirring at her.

"_Because you are a child of Konoha."_

It wasn't the exact words Naruto wanted to hear but it was better than nothing. When all those adults kept ignoring her existence or shooting her those _hateful_ looks. The man stopped and showed her an emotion that made her feel warm.

She wanted to feel more of that warmth.

"_Because you are a child of my village."_ The man repeats again and again. It surprised her when he knelt down and hugged her so tightly. It didn't give her the protection Naruto wanted from the winter, but the ache in her heart eased slightly. She breathed in his scent as the man repeated those words again and again to her.

It had been so long since someone called her a child.

She thinks that the last person to call her a child was the kind, old lady. The kind, old lady used to give her the name Naru-chan and called her, her little maelstorm. She wants that old lady back. The old lady left her all alone with those mean people in the orphanage.

She wants to find her again but Naruto can't remember what the old lady looks like.

'_Do you want to come with me to get clean up? The winters here are going to be cold and I will take you to a nice place.'_ The man pushed himself up and offered a wrinkled hand to her, encouragement shining through those eyes.

Naruto hesitates. "_I don't wanna go back to the mean, old lady and those mean kids'_

Black eyes turned cold but it was gone, replaced with warmth that was for once directed at her.

'_I will find you a better place to live but you need to take my hand. You need to take a shower, Naru-chan.'_

That was the day Naruto took the Hokage's hand.

She never questioned how he knew his name, only caring at the fact that someone acknowledged her as a human being.

That was also the first and last time an adult offered a hand to her.

* * *

"How was the second day of school? Did you make any friends?"

Shouto pulled down his shoes and looked at his smiling sister. A hopeful smile played on her lips as she darted her eyes around the corridor. _What do you think of your classmates?_ That would have been his father's question if he knew he returned back home. The fact he didn't hear the question told Shouto that his father was still out.

"Fine." His sister sighed and slumped her shoulders down. Shouto paused, almost feeling uncertain on what to say to Fuyumi. How did he go about asking about Natsuo? Did he just spring it on her? Or did he ease her into it? He was never the type to do things gently.

"Fuyumi, where is Natsuo?"

Grey eyes widened and Fuyumi just stared at him before pinching herself. He frowned. Was he not supposed to ask his question like that? Shouto knew he was not the type to ask about his older brother. The two of them had never been close despite the three-year age gap between them.

Endeavour never allowed him to get close to either Natsuo or Touya when he was a child, and Shouto didn't even know how to talk to his brothers.

"Natsuo is finally out on a date from some girl that he met in his university," Fuyumi paused. "But why are you asking about Natsuo?"

They walked into the living room, taking seats on their respective seats and Shouto glanced again at the study room. If Endeavour knows about his concerns for a classmate then he might throw a fit. _There is no time for distractions, Shouto._ Those were the harsh words Endeavour would say whenever he wanted to go out to play.

Time was spent on training and friends were nothing but a distraction.

"I want to ask him about what to do with a classmate."

His sister perked up and leaned forward, grey eyes twinkling with joy at his words. Shouto knitted his eyebrows and tilted his head. _Why does she look like that?_ He might just go to his room and start doing some of his homework. He would just wait till nightime and ask Natsuo about it.

"Is your classmate a girl?"

Todoroki blinked and nodded. "How did you know?"

Fuyumi ignored his question and just stared at him with wide grey eyes. _Why did she look at me like that?_ He raised his eyebrow but chose not to say anything. The less he say, maybe the more his sister could act just a little bit more like her normal self.

"Is she pretty?"

Shouto blinked and looked out at the window-door leading out to the gardens. The skies had been blue when he left the school, reminding him of his classmate's eyes. It was probably one of her prettier features and a couple of the boys in their class did find Uzumaki to be very attractive.

Mineta made it a point to tell the boys that Uzumaki was also terrifying.

"She is."

His sister hummed and pressed her hand against his forehead. A teasing glint shone through those grey eyes "She must be really pretty for you to notice her or maybe you must be sick."

"I am fine." He knew in an objective sense that Uzumaki was one of the prettier girls in their class. Bright blue eyes and blond hair that must have been what sunshine would look like if it was an actual item. But it was the fake smile and her words that brought him, his attention.

He knew Uzumaki was suffering from something like his mother had been.

"So what about her?" His sister questioned, leaning forward slightly. "I think I can help you better than Natsuo. He struggled a long time to get his date to notice him…"

Shouto shook his head. "She reminds me of Mum."

The smile dropped and Shouto rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding those concern grey eyes belonging to his sister. He focused his attention on the green grass of their garden. Whenever his siblings had been too busy playing games with each other, Shouto would either train or cling to their mother's skirt.

'_I am okay, Shouto.'_

Their mother had never been okay. She flinched whenever her eyes locked on the fire side of his body. His turquoise eye made her flinch and Shouto knew how ugly that side of him was. He hated how much the mere sight of him brought her that kind of pain.

"I want to help her."

'_Assholes don't seem to give shit about other people.'_

Those words echoed in his mind, never letting him forget about what he might look like to other people. Those blue eyes looked at him with resentment like he was one of those people. It bothered him. It made him want to question whether or not he was one, because Shouto was just too focus on not being Endeavour.

He didn't think what people saw when they look at him.

"You blame yourself for what happened to Mum?"

Shouto kept quiet and the only sound between them was the sound of the bird singing their songs. It was his fault their mother became that way. If his father had never been so focused on his training then their mother would never be like this. If that fire side never existed then their mother would be here with them.

He resented that side of him.

That side of him that made him like his father.

Fuyumi wavered and then ultimately decided to go over to him. He tensed up when his sister wrapped her arms around him, trying so hard to give him comfort. No matter how much Fuyumi hugged him, the discomfort Shouto feels never faded.

He stopped liking physical comfort after the incident and Fuyumi's hugs didn't offer any comfort.

"Maybe you should talk to your homeroom teacher about your concerns," his sister let go of him and offered him a tiny smile. "They have a better knowledge of what to do when it comes to your classmate and know how to approach her about her problems…you might just scare her off. Natsuo might be studying to be a counsellor but he won't know what to do just yet."

Shouto nodded. "But how do I get her to see that I am not like the person that hurt her?"

His sister offered him a smile.

"Just prove to her that you do care about her— your actions can speak a lot louder than words, Shouto."

* * *

It was the end of her shift and Naruto could only feel a numb pain in her cheeks. It had been a terrible idea for her to keep smiling for so long but she wanted more money to pay for some items for school. The money in her bank account was enough for now. It would be enough to pay for the items, but there was no such thing as too much money.

Money made the world go round was a saying that Naruto heard one of the tourist saying to her boss.

She tried to use the excuse on her boss to extend her working hours, but the woman did not laugh one bit. The older woman puffed her cheeks, folded her arms against her chest and told her that she needed to stop working so much.

'_You will never get a boyfriend if you work this late.'_

Naruto knows she would never get a boyfriend. Time was valuable and precious. Love was for people with no ambitions or who had all the time in the world. Every minute she thinks of falling in love or finding a boyfriend was a minute wasted on making something for herself. It might not be her plans to become a Hero but she would make something out of herself.

She would be someone, god damn it.

Naruto blinked when she felt a small body collided against her. Blue eyes grew slightly wide at the sight of a little girl falling down on the ground with a gasp.

"Are you okay?" Naruto knelt down and looked at the girl. At first glance, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary but something nagged at her to keep looking for wounds. She paused when red eyes grew large at the sight of her, fear shining through those eyes.

Naruto knew the girl was scared of her and was about to go her own way, when her eyes caught sight of the lack of shoes and the bandages wrapped around her hands and legs. She fixated her eyes on the bandages and flickered her eyes to the girl.

Something was not right.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

The little girl blinked and those red eyes stared at her with uncertainty and fear. Naruto wavered and sucked her breath. _I really am an idiot for asking a stupid question._ Nothing about the girl screamed she was okay. Bandages on her body, fear shining through her eyes and the way she wanted to run made it clear that the girl was hurt.

"Eri, there you are! You should stop just stop running!"

Naruto looked up and narrowed her eyes at the sight of a tall, muscular man in a suit, wearing some kind of beak-shaped mask over his face. _Nothing about that man screams warmth._ She hugged the girl and dropped all smiles at the sight of the man.

The man clenched his hand just a little and Naruto could feel the waves of irritation pouring off of him. "Sorry if my daughter bumped into you but we need to get going. Come on…"

Naruto felt the trembles of the young girl. _She is terrified._ She knew what a young girl being terrified to go near an adult meant. Terrify meant beatings for things that was never their fault. To be scared of an adult meant constant ridicule and insults and to feel like you were never good enough.

'_You are a child of Konoha.'_

She never wanted the Hokage to say those words to her. She didn't know what she wanted the Third to tell her but Naruto knew she didn't want to hear that explanation. Naruto took a deep breath and forced herself to smile widely at the adult.

"Well then you are a shitty father because fathers don't hurt their kids!"

The man narrowed his eyes at her. "Mind your own business. Eri, come with me. Boss won't like it if…"

Eri froze at those words and Naruto felt the girl sucked in a deep breath, hunched her back and tried to inch towards the man. She held the girl, not allowing her to go near the terrible man right in front of them. It would be wrong for her to let such a young girl go near the person that hurt her. Naruto didn't want to see the little girl suffer.

She wanted to protect the little girl.

"You are getting on my nerves." The man growled.

Naruto hugged the girl tighter and narrowed her eyes. _I am not going to stand by and let a kid get hurt._ She might not know which parts of her was real and which parts of her was fake, but Naruto knew one thing about herself. She could never let someone suffer. People always needed to be saved from their suffering.

It was a belief that Naruto had for as long as she could remember.

He raised his hand at her and flames danced around his fingertips. "Give the girl back to me and I will forget about you."

Naruto put her fingers together in a familiar hand-seal and summoned a clone. Smoke enveloped the area and the blue-eyed girl handed Eri to her clone. Red eyes stared at her with confusion and hope, but the blonde focused all of her attention on the furious man shooting flames in random directions.

"Take Eri-chan a safe distance away!" Naruto barked at her clone. "And wait with her till I come back! If anyone asks what happens then tell them that we were playing a game of tag."

She knows that the adults of this part of the world should be told the truth, but people were cruel. Orphanages were even worse. Kids betrayed each other. Matrons acted like cold-hearted women and a child-like Eri didn't deserve it.

The clone nodded and dashed away, keeping Eri close to her chest as Naruto launched herself at the man. She ducked as balls of fire shot towards her. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as a the man held both hands up to form a huge fireball. She squatted and jumped. The soles of her shoes singed a little, coming just in close contact with the fire.

"Your Quirk can make you jump high! Well I can…"

Naruto smiled tightly when her feet touch the ground. She channelled her chakra to her legs and launched herself at the man. No chakra was gathered for her next attack. There was no need because the man was not even worth it. She smashed his cheeks, blue eyes glowing with fury as the man was launched a couple of feet away.

He crashed into the next building. Slabs of concrete broke and crashed hard onto the man's body, drilling him down to the ground and piercing him through the abdomen. _He can't survive an attack like that._ Naruto knows she should call the ambulance and let the man get healed.

It would be the right thing to do; the heroic thing to do.

But Naruto was no saint and she could never forgive anyone that hurts a child. _ People like them deserve to die._ It might be childish of her and maybe she should act in a more moral high ground, because Heroes don't do these things.

Naruto was also a kunoichi and things like morals were discarded when it came to people like them.

She walked through the streets, blue eyes darting for any signs of Eri and her clone. A relieved smile lit up her face when Naruto caught sight of her clone sitting on the hard, cold ground and trying to play with Eri. Hands trying to touch each other but Eri was not smiling, only looking around like she was afraid.

"Boss is here!" Her clone declared.

Eri looked up and stared wide-eyed at her. Naruto smiled, not one of the fake smiles that she gave to her classmates and co-workers but an honest smile. Her clone waved and popped itself out of existence as Naruto took her place right in front of Eri.

She knelt down again and offered her a hand. "Everything is going to be okay now, Eri-chan. I took care of that bad guy and I promise to take care of you."

The little girl stared at her hand and softly asked. "Why did you help me?"

'_Why do you care, Old Man?"_

"_Because you are a child of Konoha."_

Naruto never wanted the Third to say those words to her. She knew even at that time that those were never the words she wanted to hear. It was not the words that a child like Eri or her deserved to hear. She hugged the girl and took a couple of deep breaths.

A realization dawn on her as she realized what she wanted the Third to say to her.

"Because you are a little girl that deserves to know people do care about you."

She wanted so badly to have the Third say those words to her.

Naruto knew she should take Eri to the police and have her questioned about the abuse. But the police would never know how to properly take care of her. They never actually cared about the children that went through hell. No one ever actually cared about them. They don't know the hell that each day of living meant.

She was going to give Eri a chance to live the life that Naruto wished someone would have given her.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the introduction to Eri? And of the rewrite so far? I know that the changes made are making it different from the original plot but the parts of the original Nirvana are being split up to develop the characters better.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows, as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"_This is going to be your new home, Naru-chan."_

Naruto gazed wide-eyed at the sight of the empty apartment, drinking in the sight of the place that she could finally call her own. The walls were bare and there was very little furniture in the living room. There was some dust on the floor but she didn't mind. People would have been appalled by the conditions but to the six-year-old, she felt both joy and sadness.

"_I wish I can give you a better apartment, Naru-chan but this was the only apartment that I can find in such short notice."_

Naruto looked away from the couch and stared at the Hokage. The old man stared at her with sad eyes, looking almost grandfatherly to her. She didn't mind the conditions of the apartment. Naruto had slept in a box. This was nicer than the box, but it was not as nice as the old man's house.

She liked the old man's house. His son was kind, giving her piggyback rides and swinging her around and his wife was just as nice. The lady taught her how to braid her long hair and how to comb her hair. His grandson was funny, always smiling at her and tugging her hair.

They eased the ache in her heart.

She pushes the corner of her cheek. _"Old man, why can't I stay with you? Or with your son's family?"_

The Hokage hesitated and tilted his hat downwards, not allowing her to see his eyes. The man could not avoid looking at her. She knelt down, tilted her head to the side and blinked at the sight of the pain in his brown eyes. _Why is he hurting?_ Naruto tugged on his sleeves and the man blinked at the sight of her.

She would lie and tell him that she was joking. She didn't mind the apartment. It was _her _home. There was never a single thing Naruto could call her own. The orphanage believed in the idea of sharing everything, except she was never allowed to play with the toys. Until the incident, the other children would tried to sneak in some toys with her.

"_There are certain people that won't like it if you stay with me,"_ The Hokage explains gently. _"This will be your new home, Naru-chan. I know it isn't much but you are always welcome to visit me or my son and his family. Our doors are always open to you."_

Naruto nodded and looked out at the window. _Why don't they want me?_ She wanted to know if there was something wrong with her. She didn't make any problems. She played very well with Konohamaru. Was it because she was a bad girl? Naruto promised to be a good girl. Why must they care what people think? What about her and her feelings? She nibbled her lip.

The old man didn't make her go back to the orphanage and Naruto thought that was a win for her.

"_Thank you, Old Man."_ Naruto beamed and the man faltered at her words. His eyes radiated some coldness, the same kind of coldness that the villagers gave her, but Naruto acts like she didn't see it. He was kind to her, treated her so much better than the matron, and so she ignored it. She can pretend that maybe he loves her like she loves him.

She wants to live in a world where someone actually loves her and it wasn't wrong for her to think that maybe the kind, old man can grow to love her.

So Naruto smiled widely and pretends she was not scared of the slight coldness in his eyes. No one with cold eyes would treat her so nicely, would let her live with them for a week, if they didn't care for her. It was the logic of a six-year-old. The desire to have at least one person cared for her was enough for her to ignore that something was never right with what he did.

"_I will give you money, Naru-chan and you can use that money to buy whatever you want,"_ Hiruzen informed her. The coldness in his eyes fades slightly, replaced with warmth that made Naruto feel kind of funny. "_I will come this Friday to visit you, Naru-chan."_

Naruto smiled and doesn't dare ask him to come and visit her more. She looked around her new apartment, trying to think of all the ways she could make it feel like home. Those white walls could be painted orange and the balcony seems large enough for her to put some plants. _I wanna have some tulips._ She doesn't know why but she really wanted those flowers.

The Hokage watched her and tilted his hat downwards again.

She stared at him and thinks that it was okay if the old man didn't love her. Naruto did not love him either but he saved her from the cold streets. He gave her a place that could hide her from those hateful eyes, and for that Naruto was just grateful for him.

She could learn how to love the old man and just pray that the old man could grow to love her.

* * *

Naruto took a deep breath and stared at her slightly opened bedroom door. From the slight opening, she could make out the shape of Eri clinging to the pillows like it was her lifeline. It was a good thing Eri was asleep. The girl probably would not be happy to see that she was gone. The young girl followed her everywhere, did not want to sleep in the free bedroom that Naruto had.

Naruto didn't push her. It was strange to be living free from the person that abused you. You would always think it was like some kind of strange dream, always having that irrational fear that person would just come back to hurt you. Naruto wanted to stay by Eri's side.

She wanted to stay, but Naruto also had to go to school. If she could bring Eri with her then she would do it within a heartbeat, but the teachers would ask too many questions. They might take Eri away from her and put her in some orphanage.

Orphanages were hell on earth.

Naruto took a deep breath and pressed her fingers together in a familiar hand-seal. An explosion took place and white smoke enveloped the whole living room. It was illegal for her to use her Chakra. The laws made it clear about the use of registered Quirks, but she would never get caught. It never happened before and it definitely would never happen now.

The smoke evaporated and fifteen copies of herself stood right in front of her. All of them looked exactly the same as her and in theory they acted just like her. But Naruto knew she occasionally had that one odd clone who acted differently from her. Sometimes she could spot them but right now, it was difficult for her to see if all of her clones would act just like her.

"What do you want us to do, Boss?" The clones asked in unison.

"You guys are going to henge yourselves into adults and get us other part-time jobs to pay for the expenses," Naruto declared. The clones nodded, followed her orders and charged out of the doors in their numerous disguises. She only relaxed when the door closed again and Naruto was alone in the house.

She flickered her eyes to Eri, tensing up when the girl shifted again and let out a small whimper. Any thought of making a clone and letting it take care of Eri was gone, disappeared in the wind. Naruto might be the last person to know how to raise kids but she knows what not to do. She could learn along the way and make a few mistakes.

Naruto won't mess this up.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A clone appeared and Naruto doesn't notice for one bit that the clone was smiling and excited, acting in a behaviour that was completely different from her. She could only focus on Eri-chan, worried that the sound would wake her up.

"You are going to go to school in my place. Make sure to copy all the notes and note down the due dates for any homework," Naruto said quietly. The clone grinned and nodded her head vigorously, before swinging her door open and charging through it.

Naruto winced when the door slammed shut.

_If I work sixteen part-time jobs then would it be enough for the expenses?_ Naruto sat down on the couch, pulled open the drawer in her coffee table and took out a small notepad and pencil. The cost of her rent was high but had been manageable with her part-time job. The instant ramen expenses would have to cut down. Eri-chan might not like it and Naruto didn't want to push her.

She would need to buy Eri some toys because children liked toys. Eri might be upset if she didn't have any toys to play with, might even resent her if she ever makes friends and they tease her for not having any toys. The money in her bank account would be enough to get some toys. At worse, Naruto could always sneak into a casino and gamble.

The blue-eyed girl nodded and note down her options, before glancing again at Eri. _But first we might need to get her some clothes._ The clothes Eri had on her was not in good condition and made Naruto feel uneasy. So the first order of business after breakfast would be clothes.

Naruto blinked.

_But how do you dress a little girl? _Naruto undid her braid and rubbed her forehead. Did she make her wear a dress? But what if Eri didn't like it? Or did Eri like jeans? Naruto chewed on her bottom lip. What if Eri tells her that she hates the clothes Naruto buys for her? She was not exactly known for her fashion.

No, she could do this.

Eri was her first priority.

Naruto took a deep breath and made her way to the kitchen. Blond eyebrows knitted together and the girl knelt down, swinging open the cupboards. She pulled out a pan. What did little kids like to eat? There were more variety in the kind of breakfast that kids here could eat. Eggs, Pancakes, French toast and so many other options.

Children also liked it when the food was cute right? The customers, who had kids, liked it whenever one of the cooks made the breakfast looked creative. They took photos and everything. It couldn't be hard for her to do something creative like that.

"I-It really happened."

Naruto blinked and turned her whole body around. Blue eyes grew large at the sight of Eri standing there with her hands fiddling together. Fear shone through those eyes and she hated it. It might have been a night but she hadn't done anything to her. Her home was opened to her. There was no desire for her to kick her out, to make her think that she wasn't wanted.

"Yup," Naruto smiled reassuringly. "Sleep well, kiddo?"

Eri didn't smile, just nodded shyly and looked at the pan in her eyes with confusion. _I am guessing those people never cooked her a meal._ She poked her cheek, stopped herself from saying anything that might seem thoughtless, and smiled brightly at her.

Everything was going to be fine because Eri had her.

"What is your favourite animal, Eri-chan? Mine is frogs."

Eri hesitated and answered softly, "Cats."

_So I guess I will need to figure out how to make the pancakes look like cats._

How hard could it be?

* * *

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Aizawa paused and pressed his lips into a thin line at the lack of answer. He scanned the classroom, making sure that his student was actually absent and not daydreaming like Kaminari had been earlier. A small frown played on his lips when he caught sight of the empty chair right beside Todoroki. The boy kept flickering at the empty desk and then to him.

"I'm here!"

The door slid opened and Uzumaki glided in, her hand pumping up high in the air and a bright smile playing on her lips as the students blinked at the strange sight. The blond-haired girl flushed red, letting out a nervous laugh and rubbing the back of her neck like she was embarrassed by her behaviour.

Aizawa eyed the girl. "Go to your seat, Uzumaki."

The girl nodded, flashed him a smile and skipped happily to her seat. _Something wasn't right about this image._ It should please him about how happy the girl was acting to them. There was a twinkle in her eyes and the smile playing on her lips seemed genuine. It should ease him, but it did not. He knew children like Uzumaki could not heal that fast.

Something was not right about this picture. It was almost like someone disguised themselves as his student and put themselves in her spot of the school. It should be impossible but his student could make clones of herself. Her Quirk allowed her to do something like this. Clones might be physical manifestations of a person but they could have their own personality.

Did his student decide to skip school? His eyebrows twitched at the thought and Aizawa locked his eyes on the clone. It was illegal for Uzumaki to make a clone outside of a school. What did she gain from this? Did she not care about the laws of this country? He took a deep breath.

He couldn't confront the clone because Uzumaki might just decide to drop out of school. Aizawa would need to wait after school and confront the original Uzumaki at her apartment. The girl was going to ruin herself if she decided to misuse her Quirk for something like this.

It was only the third day of school too.

"Good job on the battle simulation training yesterday," Aizawa praised. "I saw the videos and the results. Bakugou, you are talented, so don't act like a child about the loss."

He didn't miss the way Bakugou stole a glance at Uzumaki. A scowl playing on his lips and annoyance flashing at the sight of her. There was also a slight glimmer of concern and suspicions in those red eyes. _He also sees something isn't right about Uzumaki._ The boy might have an attitude problem but the kid was observant to notice that something was not right about the girl.

Aizawa shook his head.

"And Midoriya," he added. The boy jolted and looked down sharply when he called him out. "You settled it by breaking your arm again, huh? You can't keep saying you can't help it because you can't control your Quirk. That's getting old. As long as you fix that, your Quirk can be extremely useful."

Aizawa ignored the boy's vigorously nod and closed the attendance book. The announcement about the Class President would have to wait when the actual Naruto was here. It would be a terrible idea for him to spring it upon the girl when she was not here to hear the news and try to object his declaration.

He slid the door of his classroom opened and stepped through. Lessons would need to be organized and the confrontation with Uzumaki would need to be organized in a way that would make sure that the girl would not run away. If he recalled correctly from the work timetable that Uzumaki provided, today would be one of her two days off.

"Sensei!"

Aizawa stopped and clicked his heels together. He twisted his head around, eyebrows inching close to his hairline at the sight of Todoroki standing behind him. The son of the Second Hero shifted in his spot, mismatch eyes not revealing any emotions but there was a slight urgency in his student. Curosity stirred inside Aizawa as he waited for the boy to start explaining why he chased him here.

"Yes, Todoroki?"

Todoroki straightened his back, his mismatch eyes flickered around the empty corridor, and said. "I am concerned about Uzumaki."

_Perceptive._

"Uzumaki…I think she is a child of abuse." Todoroki said quietly. "She doesn't trust anyone and she keeps pretending that everything is fine."

Aizawa closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _Child of abuse._ Those words made his stomach rolled with disgust like it always did whenever he hear those words. Only one child of abuse could recognise the signs on another child. Todoroki recognized the signs because of Endeavour. Rumours spread throughout the hero community of what the number two hero had done to his children and wife.

There was no concrete evidence and Aizawa did not hold enough power to protect Todoroki from his own father.

"I know," he informed him. The boy blinked and the black-haired man looked out at the window. The sight of the lush greens and the sun shining made it seem like a beautiful, nice day but not everyone had a nice day. For children like Uzumaki, a day like this could be just as bad as a storm.

"She needs help." Todoroki repeated himself.

_I know._

"I have plans to help her about her trust issues, Todoroki," Aizawa informed him. "And I do plan to approach her but a topic like this needs to be handled delicately."

He needed to talk to the real Uzumaki, not the clone that she thought could fool him into thinking that she was fine. _I wasn't born yesterday and I'm not letting her off the hook._ He really wanted to know what gave her the impression that a clone would be enough to trick him into thinking that she was here.

Aizawa had no clue about the adults that Uzumaki had in her life, but he was different from them.

He would discipline her if he had too.

* * *

"Is this place free, Midoriya?"

Izuku blinked and nodded as Naruto took a seat right beside Uraraka. The brown-haired girl beamed as Iida nodded, gesturing for the girl to take the empty seat right beside Uraraka. It should make him happy that the girl, who always defended him from Kacchan, finally decided to sit with them. It did make him happy. But Naruto had never smiled at them like this.

This smile was bright as ever, but it felt different in a way.

"Why were you late, Uzumaki-san?" Iida asked.

The girl laughed. "I overslept…again."

Iida frowned and began to lecture the blond-haired girl about the importance of waking up early. Uraraka sighed, looking amused at the interaction of their new friend, but Izuku could only frown. _Something is strange about Uzumaki._ He stole a glance at Kacchan. His childhood friend sat on another table, lips curled into a scowl as Uzumaki continued to laugh off the lecture that his friend was giving her.

Maybe if Izuku was like the other kids in their Middle School, he would think Kacchan has a crush on Uzumaki but Izuku knew differently. It had been ages since he went over to Kacchan's house but Izuku still recalled the photo of Kacchan's uncle. He might have been a little boy, no older than six at the photo, but there was a resemblance of Naruto and the little boy. When he thinks about it, Naruto shares a little resemblance to Mitsuki Bakugou.

Her hair was just straighter, her face was just more heart-shaped and her eyes were almond-shaped. Uzumaki was also just a little bit more quieter than the explosive woman.

"So Uzumaki-san, can you please explain how you came up with that plan?" Iida asked, pushing his glasses up his nose. "None of us consider that if we were villains that we could simply trap them from the very beginning."

Naruto (_was it really her?_ _He asked himself_) smiled widely and opened her mouth to answer his question, only to close it when Bakugou stalked towards them. Red eyes flared with fury and annoyance. Izuku gulped. It was going to be a matter of seconds before his childhood friend exploded on everyone.

"Where is the real one?" Bakugou growled.

Iida frowned. "Real one? Bakugou, what are you talked about? This is Uzumaki-san!"

Uraraka nodded, looking put off by the blond-haired boy's behaviour, and his childhood friend swirled his head at him. _Do you really believe this bullshit?_ Izuku kept quiet. It might have been years since the two of them had a silent conversation like this. He couldn't even remember the last time they talked like this. Their friendship deteriorated when their nursery declared his lack of Quirk to everyone.

It ended on that day in the mountain when he offered him a hand.

Izuku took a deep breath, offered everyone a nervous smile and gestured for Kacchan to follow him. His friend narrowed his eyes but he weakly shrugged his shoulder, glancing over at the confused blond-haired girl. His friend snorted. _Wimp._ He could hear the unspoken insult and shook slightly at the furious eyes directed at him.

He didn't look back to see if Kacchan followed him outside of the caferteria. The loud stomps coming from behind him was all the confirmation that was needed. Curious looks from their various classmates was thrown at them but Izuku ignored it. This kind of conversation couldn't happen in public. Kacchan was going to become furious and Naruto might just try to save him like she always did.

Izuku could handle Kacchan now.

Well, he think he can.

"Kacchan, you can't confront her now."

Kacchan growled. "So you think that it also a load of bullshit! She sent a fucking clone to class, again!"

_Again?_ Izuku blinked and blinked as his brain tried to process what Kacchan just informed him. He glanced through the windows of the cafeteria, green eyes focused on the smiling face of Naruto. Had their classmate done this before? He couldn't remember the last time when Naruto acted weirdly. Beside today, the girl had always acted the same around him and their other classmates.

"What do you mean again, Kacchan? When did she do this?"

Bakugou growled. "She spends more time with you and you can't fucking notice when Whiskers acts differently! She makes a clone on four dates: 29th of July, 15th of August, 11th of November and 10th of October. Those are the days when she acts a hell lot more friendly to everyone."

Izuku frowned and racked his head at those dates. Green eyes grew large as several memories from the last three years played in his mind. _He's right._ Naruto always acted differently on those dates. It was always a one-off thing so Izuku never put much thought about it. Was there something significant about those dates? If Naruto made clones on those dates then what was the significance of them?

He frowned.

"Have you told her that you know it is a clone?" Izuku asked slowly.

Bakugou scowled. "Nerd, did you forget that Whiskers hates my guts? You confront her about it."

Izuku smiled nervously. _I can't confront her about it._ Naruto might be nice to him and they might have had a couple of conversations, but his classmate had never opened up to him. Whenever he attempted to get to know her, his classmate would tell him that she had a job to do or that she was just too busy to hang out.

He really did doubt that Naruto would admit that she was using her clones. Kacchan knows this because Kaccahn was always keeping an eye on their female classmate. He just had a very funny way of showing his concerns to people.

"You really care about her, don't you Kacchan?"

"Screw you, Deku! She annoys the hell out of me."

Kacchan really had a funny way of showing that he was worried for a classmate.

* * *

Shouto knew something was very weird about Uzumaki. She went to sit with Midoriya and his group of friends, smiling without a care in the world and just acting very friendly to people. It became even weirder when his classmate beamed at him as she took her seat right beside him. The girl didn't even put a fake smile when Aizawa-sensei assigned them as partners for a history project.

Something was not right about his classmate.

"So we are going to do the project in your house, Pretty Boy?"

He blinked when Uzumaki flashed him a smile and leaned close to him._ Pretty Boy? _Shouto frowned and regarded the smiling girl sitting beside him. This was definitely not his classmate. They might have only known each other for just two days, but his classmate made it clear that she thought he was an asshole.

"Well?" Uzumaki asked, tilting her head. Her blue eyes shone with curiosity. "Are we going to do the project at your place?"

Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line. "No."

The thought of his female classmate meeting his father made Shouto feel very uneasy. His father might take one look at his classmate and ask her about her Quirk. The man was terrible and Shouto didn't want his classmate to think even more badly of him. So his house was a definite no.

Uzumaki nodded and tilted her head. "Bo…my apartment is off-limits. It is too cramp."

_She was going to say boss, wasn't she?_ Shouto observed his classmate, nodding his head and frowning when the girl let out a small sigh of relief. Something was definitely not right about Uzumaki. He might not know her very well. They weren't friends. He didn't need friends but he observed his classmate for two days. The girl only showed fake smiles and this kind of behaviour was unusual.

He took a deep breath and asked quietly. "Is everything okay, Uzumaki?"

"Of course, Pretty Boy!"

Shouto felt his lips tugged downwards at those words. He glanced at his other classmates before looking back at his smiling partner. All of the other students were too busy planning for their project, none of them seemed concern over the strange behaviour displayed by the girl.

This wasn't Uzumaki.

_Uzumaki can make clones so she could have sent a clone here._ Shouto observed the girl again. The Uzumaki, he knew, was the type of girl to give fake smiles and act like everything was okay. The blond-haired girl, right in front of him, had given him a very strange title and was not even giving him any fake smiles.

If this really wasn't Uzumaki then he could push her for answers.

"You are not really Uzumaki, are you?"

The smile on Uzumaki's face falters at his question. She darted her eyes around, looking almost nervous at the idea that someone might overhear their conversation.

"Of course, I am Uzumaki!"

Shouto stared. "You called me an asshole, yesterday."

The girl laughed nervously and looked around the room, blue eyes fixated on the clock. It would be just another twenty more minutes before the class was dismissed and it would be time for them to have lunch. The girl reached her hand high but Shouto grabbed hold of her hand.

He really didn't want the clone to run away.

"Where is she?" He asked again.

The clone sweated. "I am here."

Shouto kept his eyes fixated on the blackboard, never allowing it to flicker at the nervous blond. It was a clone because Uzumaki never called him a Pretty Boy. She never called him by anything. Uzumaki opened up to him by telling him that she thought of him as an asshole. It was not much but Shouto could pick up the subtle hints, here and there.

Like the fact that Uzumaki had been avoiding the sharp edges of the table for the last couple of hours.

"Look I am…"

He shook his head. "You are a clone. Where is the original Uzumaki?"

The clone yanked her hand away and stared at him with wide eyes. Shouto fixated his mismatch eyes on the bright blue eyes of his project partner. _I know that I am right about this._ The clues matched up when he thought about it carefully. Now all he needed to know what his classmate was doing instead of being in school.

"I can't tell you." The girl finally admitted.

Shouto nodded and asked. "Did her parents…"

"First thing you should know about Uzumaki Naruto is that her parents are dead."

_Dead?_ Shouto blinked and regarded the clone, who dropped all smiles and stared out at the window with sadness. How old was his classmate when she lost her parents? He stopped himself from asking the question. Uzumaki was not going to be pleased if he pried about her life, even if her clone was the one to tell him everything.

He didn't want his classmate to think that he was an inconsiderate asshole.

* * *

It was strange to be in a children shop and not be kicked out if you asked Naruto. After failing to make a cute, cat-face pancake for Eri and a quick shower, the blond-haired girl decided to take the six-year-old girl out for some shopping. Anything to do with those white dresses should be taken away and Naruto was going to burn it.

She was going to destroy anything that Eri had on her that brought her pain.

Naruto knelt down and looked at the shy little girl. The people around them kept glancing at her, looking almost slightly put-off by the state of Eri, and she wanted to yell at them. If they had a problem then why don't they ask her? Why didn't they try to rescue this little girl earlier? They shouldn't judge them.

"If there is anything that you want, Eri-chan then you can bring it to me and I will pay for it." Naruto said softly, combing through the girl's hair. She offered her a smile and flickered her eyes to the large horn on her forehead. It was getting smaller with each passing hour. It was kind of a good thing because she was uncertain about what to do with clothes.

She really was at lost when it came to clothes. Dresses were clothes Naruto avoided wearing and hated to wear, while jeans were her best friend in this world. But she wasn't six. Naruto barely remembered what she wore when she was six.

She didn't want to be a failure when it comes to this.

Eri smiled and tugged the sleeves of Naruto's orange shirt. She pointed to the white t-shirt with a smiling orange sun print, looking at the blond-haired girl with hopeful eyes. _I will do anything to make her happy._ Naruto flashed her a smile and took the small size of that shirt.

"Can you change by yourself? Or do you want me to help you?" Naruto asked softly. "I will just be outside the changing room. I won't leave you alone, I promise you."

The girl smiled shyly. "I can change by myself…do you promise not to leave me?"

"I will always keep my promise to you." Eri beamed and Naruto wrapped her hand around those small hands, making sure to keep her strength at a level that wasn't too strong. She tensed her shoulder and feels a little bit weary about leaving the little girl alone to change. It might be a bit much but Naruto didn't know what to do.

It was one thing to take care of yourself, but another thing to take care of another human being.

She thinks that maybe she could do the job okay when Eri comes out with a shy little smile and looking so cute that Naruto wished she had one of those fancy phones that could take nice photos. She might mess things up with the pancakes. But Eri didn't seem to mind the fact that she messed things up.

Naruto could do this parenting thing.

She just needed to overwork when it came to the part-time jobs, have her clones attend her classes and everything was just going to be okay.

* * *

_Sometimes I regret becoming a teacher._

Aizawa shoved his hand into his pocket and stared at the door belonging to Uzumaki's apartment. The school day was nearly over and that meant he had plenty of time to confirm whether or not, his student had truly skipped school.

He raised his hand, ready to knock the door and paused when he heard a sound coming from the door. Aizawa pressed his ear against the door, eyebrows hunched together when he heard the sound of a second voice.

"Eri-chan! What do you want for lunch?"

Aizawa frowned, pushed his ear away and knocked the door. _What is this girl doing?_ He knew Uzumaki didn't live with anyone. Her Guardian was god know where. Her parents were dead and as far as he knew, his student was an only child. Who did his student have over today? Was she the reason that Uzumaki skipped class?

He really was dreading about what was going to happen.

The door opened and Aizawa folded his arms against his chest as his student blinked her eyes at the sight of him. He raised his eyebrow at the sight of the apron around her clothes. She opened and closed her mouth, before flashing him a bright, fake smile.

This was definitely the real Uzumaki.

"Aizawa-sensei, what brings you here? I think school…"

He pressed his lips into a thin line, black eyes flickering around the corridor to see if her landlord was eavesdropping in their conversation. No sight of black hair meant that the man was not interested to hear what was happening and reporting it to Uzumaki's godfather. The man must have a way to report things to the man.

Aizawa refused that an adult could be so irresponsible and not check on a teenager like Uzumaki.

"Why did you send a clone to school, Uzumaki? Don't even try to lie yourself out of this, young lady."

His student smiled. "I didn't send a clo…"

"Uzumaki, do you take me for an idiot?"

The blond-haired girl wisely kept her mouth shut and Aizawa stared at the teenage girl. What kind of life did his student live for her to do these things? He took a deep breath and thought of the things that he rehearsed on his way here. _We can work through your issues, Uzumaki._ _I want to help you._ Those were some of the words that was in his speech.

He forgot about his speech when he saw a little girl peaking through Uzumaki's legs, looking at him with so much fear.

There was only one question that Aizawa could think to ask at that moment.

"Uzumaki, explain to me why do you have a little girl with you?"

He had a feeling that his headache from this morning was just going to get bigger.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the relationships between the characters?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

At six, there was only one other person that Naruto longed to get the approval of and that was her teacher in the Academy. _Hiraoka Sabura._ That was his name. He was her very first teacher in the Academy and teachers were people that children should be able to trust. Teachers cared about children and listened to their problems.

Naruto saw the way their teacher comforted Sakura after Ami bullies her for having a large forehead._ It isn't even that big._ She thinks of several insults that can be used to describe about the bully. Sakura was pretty and she was not stupid like Ami. Of course Naruto doesn't know how to tell Sakura what she thinks. The thought of approaching Sakura makes her feel funny and she doesn't like that funny feeling.

She thinks their teacher was kind and nice, so maybe he might be nice to her. It was why Naruto spends most of the night doing the science worksheet that he assigned them to do. She spent hours doing it, checking and double checking for any errors because sometimes Hiraoka-sensei will say that her answer wasn't there. _It was correct._ But Sensei was really strict when it came to marking her worksheets.

He never gives her full marks but Naruto thinks that maybe she didn't word it properly. She makes excuses for him because Hiraoka-sensei was nice to Sakura and all the other kids that were being bullied. It never crosses her mind that maybe he was being unjust to her…_because teachers were supposed to be fair._ She only understands the truth when Ami grabs her worksheet from her desk.

She sat right beside Sasuke and smiled happily at her worksheet. Most of their classmates didn't arrive yet and wouldn't arrive until five minutes before class starts. Only three people comes to class this early: Naruto, Sasuke and Ami. Ami always stares at Sasuke with weird eyes and her classmate either ignores her or looks at Naruto. Sometimes, she catches her classmate staring at her hair.

He was just as strange as his fangirls.

Ami walked in through the class and instead of going to her usual spot right beside Sasuke, she makes a beeline to Naruto. _I don't wanna be her friend._ It had to be the only reason Ami would come to her. She wanted to become friends with her, but Naruto doesn't want it. She doesn't like bullies; they were mean to everyone and don't actually have any friends. Naruto wants to make friends. Actual friends.

She doesn't want fake friends like Ami did.

Ami smirked and grabbed the worksheet from her table. Naruto froze and just watched in horror as her classmate took out her eraser and removed Naruto's name from the worksheet. She doesn't know why it took her so long to act out. All she knew was that her classmate took _her _work. The work she spent hours doing was taken away from her.

"_Give it back!_" Naruto yells and charges straight at the purple-haired girl. Her blue eyes flared with anger and the purple-haired girl froze before bolting from her spot. Sasuke just kept quiet, didn't even try to stop Ami even when Naruto turned to him and silently begged him to help her with his crazy fangirl.

Ami would listen to him because she loves him, which is kind of silly when she thinks about it. Naruto doesn't know how Ami can love him. They were only six and boys were icky if you asked her.

"_It is mine!"_ Naruto screams as the girl continued to run circles around her. _Bitch._ She wanted to say the word so badly but the Hokage scolded her when she called his secretary that word. _We don't use foul language, Naruto._ She doesn't want to be scolded by Hiraoka-sensei.

She was about to spring on the girl, only to blink when Hiraoka-sensei walks into the classroom with an irritated look. Time seemed to freeze and there was only one thought going through Naruto's mind. _Ami is going to get into trouble._ She opens her mouth to tell him that Ami was trying to pass off the work that Naruto worked so hard on, as hers.

"What is happening here?" Hiraoka-sensei asked. He took the science worksheet from Ami's hand and the girl hunched her back, looking almost frightful for what their sensei was going to say.

Naruto points at Ami and answered. "She stole my homework! She wants to pass it off as her own!"

Their teacher didn't scold Ami and Naruto frowned. She knitted her eyebrows together as the man looked at the worksheet and then to the purple-haired girl, who was slowly growing more and more confident as the seconds passed. _Why isn't he scolding her? It is obviously my work! Ami isn't hard-working or smart enough to answer those questions._ It was her handwriting on that worksheet.

Anyone with a brain could see that.

"_You are a __**liar**__ Naruto," _Hiraoka-sensei declared_. "This has Ami's name on it."_

"_Because she erased my name! That is my work! That has my handwriting!" _Naruto yells at him. She wanted to cry so badly. How could he say that? Naruto didn't lie. The Hokage told her about how bad it was to lie to the adults and Naruto didn't want to be seen as a bad person. She was smart. She could answer all those questions even when their teacher sent her out of the classroom for talking in school.

Naruto swirled her head to Sasuke and silently pleads for him to back her up. They talked sometimes and he was her friend, wasn't he? They played together and everything. So why was he keeping quiet? He knew the truth so why did he keep quiet? She hunched her back.

"_You are __**not smart enough**__ to make this score,"_ Hiraoka-sensei said. "_You __**stole**__ the worksheet from Ami."_

_You are a liar, Hiraoka-sensei._ Naruto wanted to scream those words out loud and to cry about the unfairness of the whole thing, but something stops her. If she cried then nothing would change. Crying never fixed her problems, it only make things worse. So she keeps quiet and stares at the smiling teacher with a scowl on her face.

What did she do to deserve this?

Naruto studies so hard for his tests and works so hard on his homework. She makes notes even though all Naruto wanted to do was skip class and go somewhere else. She was nothing like most of the girls in their class. They daydream about the boy right beside her. She did her work on time and studies her heart out. She saw no point of cheating on the worksheet when she knew the answer. Ami never did any of those things, so how could Hiraoka-sensei take her side?

That was the day Naruto learnt that there was no point for her to try so hard in the Academy. The day where she learnt that there was no point for her to show she was smart, because what was the point? No one wanted to recognise it.

* * *

The lack of dust and the clear organisation of Uzumaki's apartment worried Aizawa. The whole apartment was clean, cleaner than he would expect a fifteen-year-old girl was capable of doing when she didn't have parents to teach her about the importance of cleaning an apartment. It also showed just how much time his student spent on keeping her apartment clean, because his own reflection stared back at him.

He glanced at the kitchen and frowned at the sight of his student making coffee. The white-haired girl clung to Uzumaki's pants, looking almost so frightful as if his student might just disappear from her. _What happened to her?_ This kind of behaviour worried him. It was not healthy for that little girl or for his student, because Uzumaki was not emotionally stable enough for the girl.

He tore his eyes away from that little scene and looked at the shelf. There were only two photos on the shelf and it spoke volumes about the life that his student had before she came to Japan. The first photo was of a ten-year-old Uzumaki smiling widely with an elderly man for the camera. Love shone through their eyes but there was something about the posture that worried him.

He just didn't know what it was.

The second photo was of Naruto with two other kids and a silver-haired man. His student had her arms folded against her chest, a scowl playing on her lips and a black-haired boy also had a scowl on his face. There was also just a tiny side glance to Uzumaki. There was a pink-haired girl with a smile on her face. The silver-haired man smiled, looking faintly amused, and had both his hands on Uzumaki and the boy's head.

In both of the photos, Uzumaki seemed to be just a little bit happier than she was now.

"Eri-chan, I want you to meet my teacher: Aizawa-sensei and Aizawa-sensei meet Eri-chan," his student said. She placed a tray of coffee on the table and took a seat on the couch. Eri looked at him with curious eyes but made no attempt to talk to him. Instead she just stared at him and clung even harder to Uzumaki.

He frowned and observed the little girl. The fear, the clinginess and those bandages around her arms and legs told Aizawa that the girl was in a similar boat to his student. Just like Uzumaki, the girl must have been abused by someone close to her. The only question was how did she come to live with his student?

"Uzumaki, please explain me why do you have a child with you?"

The blond-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and just combed her fingers against Eri's hair. She kept her blue eyes fixed on the clingy girl, not allowing Aizawa to see what was going through her young mind.

Finally, Uzumaki answered. "It is none of your business."

Aizawa pressed his lips into a thin line at the answer. _None of my business?_ He clasped his hands together, pressing the locked hands against his chin, and frowned at his irritated student. It was his business because Uzumaki was his student. She skipped school for this girl and was clearly trying to act like a parent to the girl. He didn't want this for either of them.

"You are my student and anything that makes you skip school, is my business."

Uzumaki folded her hands against her chest and puffed her cheeks. "You aren't my Dad!"

_Don't lose your temper, Aizawa._ The temptation to lash out was great because Aizawa wasn't even old enough to be her father. He doubt that if the girl had a proper father figure in her life then his student would never behave like this. If he lashed out or say anything then the girl would take it as an indication that he didn't actually care about her.

He was not going to give her that satisfaction.

"I know I'm not your Dad but I don't want you to waste your future, Uzumaki." Aizawa took a deep breath and flickered his eyes to Eri. The little girl blinked and looked almost confused at what was happening. "You have got so much potential but you will ruin your potential if you don't go to class."

Uzumaki kept quiet and balled her hands into a tight fist. Aizawa frowned even more when the girl took several deep breaths and flashed him a smile. Those blue eyes looked at him with mistrust, fake happiness but the most prominent emotion was surprise. Why was she surprised? Hasn't anyone ever tell her about her potential? It was clear from the very beginning that Uzumaki had a lot of potential.

"You are only saying it because you will get into trouble if Yuuei High finds out that I have been skipping class."

Aizawa raised his eyebrow at the logic. "_You_ will be the one that gets into trouble for skipping class. This doesn't affect me but I don't want you to ruin your future."

"And I'm not ruining my future!" Uzumaki declare. She took several deep breaths and looked at him with so much fury that Aizawa felt himself becoming slightly relax. He wanted some emotions coming out of the girl. Any emotion except for the fake happiness was an improvement. It showed him that Uzumaki was really capable of showing real emotions.

The white-haired girl kept quiet and shifted closer to Uzumaki. Her red eyes flashed with so much fear and Aizawa frowned. If he wanted to continue this conversation then Eri would need to go somewhere else. This conversation was not a conversation that a young child should hear, not with her kind of background.

"Uzumaki, can you make a clone?" His student frowned and darted her eyes to Eri. Blue eyes grew wide and the girl stiffly nodded her head, placed her fingers together and a white cloud of smoke appeared. He winced at the loudness. _I don't think Eri would like it._ A child with a history of abuse probably would get scared when it came to her clones.

"Eri-chan, I want you to go and play with my clone while I talk to Aizawa-sensei." Uzumaki said softly, patting her clone and flashing a reassuring smile at the girl. The clone flashed a smile and offered her hand, but Eri stared at it with mistrust. "She is just like me."

_Only more open with showing her emotions._

Aizawa kept that information to himself and watched as the little girl took the clone's offered hand. They waited till the two of them were in the bedroom and the doors were firmly closed, before resuming their conversation. It would do neither of them any good if Eri became upset.

"You are going to be overworking yourself to make sure that you can provide for her," Aizawa said. He was going to paint a very clear picture to the stubborn girl about what her future would be. "You won't be able to have a life if you spend your whole time taking care of her. You won't be able to focus on your schoolwork if you take care of her. This isn't the life that you deserve."

"And what about Eri-chan? You think she deserves to be taken away from me and be put in some crappy orphanage! That is even worse!" Naruto snarled, slamming her hands on the coffee table. The coffee table cracked under the pressure, splitting neatly in half and crashing down on the floor.

He kept his expression completely blank as Uzumaki glared at him. So much anger and resentment poured out of her eyes, speaking volumes of how much she hated the idea of an orphanage. If he didn't choose his words wisely then Uzumaki might just close up. She would never open up if he said the wrong thing. He decided to ask her just one question:

"What is wrong with orphanages? Give me an argument on why you think Eri shouldn't go to an orphanage."

Uzumaki chewed on her bottom lip and stared out at the window, where the sound of happy children could be heard. _Is she going to give me her own experience? Or am I going to hear some logical explanation?_ He wanted to see if the girl was going to open up to him, just even slightly about why she doesn't like the idea of an orphanage. Aizawa had been lucky growing up. He had a loving mother and somewhat distant father, which was better than what some kids had.

"Because the kids in the orphanages are bullies and the carer in the orphanage won't care about her," Uzumaki said quietly. "It is a world where she will have to constantly fight to survive. The carer would just ignore her and might even hit her if she did anything wrong. They will say hurtful things and that is the last thing she needs. The person, who took care of Eri-chan, hurt her and I know his boss wants her…I just don't know why."

The whole speech gave Aizawa a lot of information to work with. Eri was not just an abused child but a child that was important to some criminal, which meant that Uzumaki saved her. It made sense why Eri clung to Uzumaki since she saw her as her saviour. The argument for the orphanage told him more about Uzumaki's background. The bitterness in her words told him that the disadvantage was with her own experience.

He knew he had to be wise with his words and decision.

"Then how about we come to a compromise?" Uzumaki blinked and Aizawa took a deep breath. _I am probably going to regret this._ The things he would do to make sure that his student trusted him. "I will take care of Eri with the help of the school since her original guardian might want to take her back. We can protect her from those people and you will be able to visit her."

Uzumaki stared at him, looked almost taken back by his offer and waited for him to say something. He just took the cup of tea and took a sip out of the cup, keeping his eyes fixated on his student. Maybe the other adults in her life would have taken back the offer on such a big responsibility, but Aizawa wanted to show her that he was serious about the whole thing.

"Why are you going this far to make sure that I am going to come to school? My clones are me."

"Because I am worried for both you and Eri-chan," Aizawa tells her. The words coming out of his mouth was the truth because Uzumaki deserved to hear this. She deserved to know that he wasn't lying to her. "I don't know what happened to you as a little girl, but we can talk about it. If you don't want to talk to me then we can find someone that you will…"

His student frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Uzumaki, are _**you**_ really fine?" He asked slowly. Aizawa kept his eyes locked on his student, lips pressed against his cup of tea as he waited for his student to say something. It would surprise him if she admitted that she wasn't fine. People were always in denial about the life that they had.

"Of course I am fine!" His student replied with a fake smile plastered on her face. There was a slight waver in her smile and those blue eyes shone with mistrust. The girl balled her hands into a tight ball of fist, the smile was tight and Aizawa knew that his student was still hurting about her past. That she still needed to be rescue from whatever that was hurting her. He was going to be there for her. He does care for her because she was his student.

He would listen to her.

"Uzumaki, you don't have to put on that smile," Aizawa said softly. "You don't have to pretend to be happy. It is okay…"

His student snorted. "You don't actually care about me. No one cares about me."

"I came here, didn't I?" He reminded her. Aizawa felt like cursing the people that took care of Uzumaki as a child. How could they allow a child to grow up thinking like this? It was not healthy for her mental state. What if the girl cracked one day? It took only one bad day for someone to snap. "A teacher that doesn't care, wouldn't confront you about the use of your clones. If I didn't care then I wouldn't have left school early to come here. I want to be there for you, Uzumaki."

"Aizawa-sensei, you are just…"

It seemed like he needed to pull out the big guns.

"Uzumaki, do you know what is Pistanthrophobia ?" He kept his voice low and eyes focused on his student. The girl frowned, tilted her head for a good couple of seconds, and furiously shook her head. He took a deep breath and focused on keeping his tone quiet and calm.

"It is the fear of trust," he explained to her. "I don't know what happened to you during your developing years, but I can guess that someone or something hurt you and that experience caused you to stop trusting people and their intentions."

Uzumaki kept quiet and just stared at him with a tight smile. She did not even try to deny about her fear or offered to tell him about where it started. He didn't expect her to tell him from the very beginning, but there was an improvement. She wasn't trying to lash out or deny him. Uzumaki seemed willing to listen and Aizawa was going to take advantage of it.

Aizawa kept his eyes focused on her.

"You are a very strong girl, Uzumaki and we both know that you are very intelligent," he tells her. "Your scores in the Entrance Exam and your battle against Kaminari and Jirou shows it. I will help you find a good therapist and if you don't feel comfortable then I will go with you. I won't be in the actual therapy session but I will be in the waiting room to support you."

His student stared at him and quietly asked. "Why are you willing to go this far?"

Aizawa stared at the young girl. There was something about the question that made it seem like she was testing him, and he doesn't know what was the correct answer to her question. He just knew his student had been hurt. He could guess that she never had someone to show her some form of care. Those adults in her life might have ignored her silent cries for help and for a child…it was the worst thing they could ever do.

"Because you deserve to have someone care for you."

Uzumaki gulped and forced a smile on her lips. "Okay. I will give the therapy thing a go, Aizawa-sensei."

Aizawa knew his student expected him to not be there for her but Aizawa was going to show her that he was very much different from the adults in her life.

* * *

"_Pistanthrophobia."_

The word sounded strange even though Naruto repeated the words so many times after Aizawa-sensei left the apartment with her clone and Eri-chan. She disliked how the man convinced her to let Eri go, but she knew she had no right to argue against him. The fact he allowed her to visit Eri-chan and was willing to compromise had been a better option then allowing Eri-chan to go to the orphanage.

She only agreed because Aizawa-sensei had only laid out two options to her: the orphanage or he took care of Eri-chan in her place. The first option was terrible and the second option was slightly better. At least with Aizawa-sensei, she could be reassured that he could protect her and there was a chance for him to focus on Eri-chan.

At least Eri-chan wouldn't be alone.

_Pistanthrophobia ?_ She doesn't have a fear of trusting people. If she was afraid of trusting people then how could she work in the café? Or interact with her customers? There had to be a level of trust between them. She did trust people. She really did trust people. It just wasn't her fault that she never hangs out with her classmate. She just worked a lot. Bills had to be paid after all.

The door to her apartment slammed open and her clone burst in with a guilty smile playing on her lips. Naruto felt her temper rise at the sight of the guilty smile. She folded her arms against her chest and glared at her guilty clone.

"You only had one job! How could you allow me to get caught by Aizawa-sensei?" She yelled at the clone.

Her clone flinched, blinked and hung her head. _Eri-chan was taken away because you gave a way the fact that you were a clone._ She took deep breaths and wanted to scream even more. This probably would have never happened if she just went to school herself, leaving this clone with Eri. But Naruto had been afraid it would pop and Eri-chan would have gotten so scared.

Now this was much worse.

"Aizawa-sensei too?" her clone finally squeaked.

Naruto swirled her head and growled. "Who else knows about you being a copy?"

"Pretty Boy." Her clone flushed red and laughed nervously as the blonde gawked at her. Who the hell was Pretty Boy? She wished that there was a way for her to know everything that her clone experienced. But shadow clones didn't work that way…she thinks. Naruto furiously shook her head at the thought.

"Pretty Boy? Who the hell…" Naruto trailed off as a face popped into her mind. There was only one classmate that she considered to be a pretty boy. Pretty Boy had to be Todoroki Shouto. Out of all the boys in her class, Todoroki was the only one she considered to be pretty. Bakugou was good-looking but there was something about him that makes her think it was wrong to think of him in that way.

Todoroki was also prettier looking than Sasuke and Naruto knew all too well of how good-looking her teammate had been.

"And how did Todoroki figure out that you were a clone?"

Her clone flinched and flushed a shade of red that would have put Hinata's blushing to shame. _Now I know what it looks like if I blush and…why the hell is she blushing?_ Naruto wanted to tug her braid and slapped her clone silly for whatever she had done to make Todoroki realized that she was a clone. Her reputation was going to be ruined because of her stupid clone.

"I think it is because I kept calling him Pretty Boy."

_He got all that from a nickname?_ Naruto didn't know whether to be impressed at how he figured it out from a single clue or be furious with her clone for saying something like that. It was one thing to dub him in her mind as the Pretty Boy but for her to say those words meant a lot of things.

"Why would you do that?" She snarled.

"You have the same thoughts! I am you!" Her clone yelled right back. "I am just more willing to show my nicer side to people!"

_It feels weird to argue with my clone_. She knew this whole conversation was weird but Naruto just didn't know what to do now. Aizawa-sensei wanted her to go for therapy which was stupid, because she was healthy. Eri-chan had been taken away because her teacher clearly thought she wasn't capable of taking care of Eri-chan. Now, her clone just told an asshole that he was the Pretty Boy.

Todoroki was going to get an even bigger head and Naruto would have to figure out how to explain to him that she didn't like him at all.

"Did you tell him that you were a clone?"

If she did then that would make things easier.

"Yes," her clone admitted shamelessly. "He asked where you were."

Naruto frowned. "Why would he care about where I was? You are me."

_I really don't understand Todoroki._ He looked like an asshole with a stick up his ass and seemed like he didn't give a shit about what people thought of him. Then the next day he asked about where she was. There had to be a story behind this. The two of them weren't friends. They had only been classmates for three days now, not enough time for him to care.

No, there had to be a reason that Todoroki asked about her.

"Aizawa-sensei assigned us as partners for a history project," her clone admitted and she wiggled her eyebrows. "You know I think we can make some history with him."

Her clone was shameless or was Naruto shameless?

"Is there anything else that I need to know?"

"I might have told Todoroki that our parents are dead." Her clone admitted. Naruto shrugged and just rubbed the sides of her head. _I don't care that he knows I am an orphan._ It had never been a secret in Konoha and Naruto would never lie about having parents if anyone asked about them. As long as Todoroki didn't look at her with pity or taunt her about her lack of parents, then Naruto was fine with this knowledge.

"And anything else?"

Her clone smiled hesitantly. "I think Todoroki might want to talk to you about where you guys should do the project since the project is due on Monday. You guys have to do a poster presentation and well we spent more time talking about where you were, instead of getting any work done."

"We can't do it in his house?"

Her clone frowned. "He refused."

In the back of her mind, Naruto wondered why Todoroki refused to let her see his house for them to do their work. But then she asked herself why did she even care? He wasn't the first person to not invite her to his house. If she continued to wonder then it meant she cared. It meant that she wanted to get to know him and Naruto didn't have the time to get to know her classmates.

She was not going to get to know an asshole that wanted to hide her from his family even though the two of them was just going to do a project.

Todoroki was just like every asshole that she knew.

* * *

**A/N:_ What do you think about this chapter? What do you think of the conversation between Naruto and Aizawa? Does it seem realistic? And what do you think of the flashback?_**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

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_Why did everyone stop playing with me?_

It was a question that plagued Naruto's mind as another kid refused to play with her. It was only the tenth time that she went to the playground and all those nice kids she played with, were now making up some excuses about why couldn't they play with her. _We have enough players._ It was the same number of players from a couple of days ago, so how could they say that they have enough players? She knows that they are lying to her.

She just doesn't know why.

"_Sorry."_ A boy said but Naruto doesn't hear the sincerity behind his words. Naruto just flashed him a smile, pretending to understand just how hard it would be to let them play with her. She could not even throw a tantrum because the mothers were watching them now. Their cold eyes daring her to make a scene against their kids.

She was going to show them that she was not a monster.

Naruto looked around for another playmate. Most of the other kids seemed to be avoiding her eyes, but there was one kid that didn't even seem to pay much notice to her. He was just focused on the sand pit, making some kind of building.

She didn't like playing in the sand, but if that kid would play with her then Naruto would learn to like it. She would do anything to have one solid friend, even if it meant doing things that she did not like to do. It would be like learning to like milk even though Naruto found it disgusting the first time.

None of the parents paid much notice of Naruto as she skipped towards the black-haired boy. _What do I do to get his attention?_ He seemed to be really focus on his building even though it did not even look all that pretty. She could make a way better one if you asked her. She was very creative or so the Hokage would say whenever Naruto handed him, her latest artwork.

She didn't understand what creative meant.

"_Can I play with you?"_ Naruto decided that the old tactic was the best way of going with things. The black-haired boy looked up from his sand building, eyebrows furrowed at the sight of her and she flashed him a hopeful smile.

He didn't answer her immediately. The boy just stared at her, or rather he seemed to be paying a lot of attention to her hair. It did not surprise her. She might be six but Naruto knows that no one in their village had her hair colour. _The colour of the sun._ She does not remember who says it but Naruto thinks it must have been a kind, old lady.

Her heart ached like it always did whenever she thought of that kind, old lady.

Naruto tilted her head and was about to walk the other way. No answer meant that the boy probably did not want to play with her, which was weird. Boys, usually, liked to play with her since Naruto liked playing with the mud and doing all the things that little boys do.

Was that why they stopped playing with her? Their mother didn't like the fact she could not even act like a proper girl, despite having this annoying long hair. Naruto attempted to cut it once but something always stopped her.

"_I am building a sand castle, help me build the tower!"_ Naruto smiled happily even though in the back of her mind, she felt annoyed at the orders being thrown at her. No one ordered her around. Not now and definitely not when she grew to be wrinkly and old like the Hokage, but Naruto wanted to play with the kid.

She would swallow her pride if it meant that she could play with him.

"_My name is Uzumaki Naruto but you can call me Naruto!"_

Never Naru-chan.

Naru-chan was just for the Hokage. Naru-chan was the special name given to her by the kind, old lady and no one had the right to call her by that name. Naruto was good. Naruto was still her name but it made her feel powerful, made her feel strong. Naru-chan was a weak, little girl that ran away from the orphanage and never looked back.

Naruto was a strong girl.

"_Uchiha Sasuke."_ Naruto missed the slight reddening of his cheeks and focused all of her attention on helping Sasuke to build his sand castle. She never knew how many hours they spent making that castle or the amount of arguments they had of how she made the tower. Naruto only knew that she was happy to play with someone for so long and not have a parent ruin it.

It was only when the sun set down that Sasuke's mother appeared.

Even now when Naruto looks back, she thinks just how pretty Mikoto Uchiha was. In the eyes of the six-year-old, Sasuke's mother looked like a princess. But not a very happy princess. Princesses were always happy in the stories that Naruto read, but his mother looked like a woman that was always in pain.

She stared at the black-haired woman and waits for the adult to pull her son away from her. _It wouldn't hurt me if she did it._ It happened so many times that Naruto thinks she got used to it. Just a temporary playmate was better than nothing.

What the woman did next, surprised her.

"_Sasuke-kun, won't you introduce me to your new friend?"_ His mother asked softly, causing her young son to flush a light shade of red. Naruto blinked and feels her heart fluttered at the mention of friend. She flashed a smile, not the weird one that she gave to the other adults, but the smile that Naruto always reserved for the Hokage.

The woman falters and Naruto thinks till this day that Mikoto Uchiha stared at her with both longing and sadness. It never made much sense until she left Konoha.

"_My name is Uzumaki Naruto, believe it!"_

Mikoto smiled but it was not a happy smile. It was not even the weird smiles that Naruto gave to people, but a smile that makes Naruto want to cry. She asks herself if it was possible for someone to make a smile that makes it seems like they were silently crying.

She only learns when she is older that it was possible.

"_What a pretty name for a very pretty girl."_

Naruto blinked and smiled widely at those words. Most of the adults never called her that word and the adults that were nice, would describe her as cute but never pretty. She never even consider herself to be all that pretty, not with the mess that was her hair. But if a very pretty woman like Sasuke's mother called her pretty, then she must be pretty.

It would be only years later when someone else would say that Naruto was pretty.

* * *

"Uzumaki."

Naruto stopped in her tracks at the sound of her last name being called out by a familiar voice. She only knew of one classmate who would use her last name without any honourfics. Her lips twitched downwards as the memory of last night and the information spilled by her clones replayed in her mind. She forced herself to smile widely and clicked her feet together before twisting her whole body to look at her classmate.

"Asshole."

Todoroki raised his eyebrow and tilted his head in confusion. If it had been anyone else, Naruto would probably think it was cute how confused he look, but she wanted to rip her classmate apart. Not only did he question her clone that seemed ready to swoon over the boy. _I thought clones were supposed to be copies of myself! I definitely don't swoon over the bastard! _But he must have told Aizawa-sensei about her use of her clones.

She didn't even understand why he would do it or why he even gave a damn about where she was.

It was none of his business.

"You are angry."

Naruto dropped her smile and glared at her classmate. "Well I'm definitely not a ball of sunshine."

Her classmate did not flinch at her glare. He did not even react to it and Naruto found that was even worse. _Everyone flinches whenever I throw a glare at them. Even Sasuke knows better than to piss me off._ Why was he not even scared from her glare? She had years of practice and experience of making that glare, but her classmate acted like it was not even scary.

"Your clone told you everything," Todoroki guessed. _What else could I be angry about?_ There was nothing about her class that makes her want to snap. Bakugou was another story entirely. The boy had always rubbed her off the wrong way with his constant desire of finding ways to irritate her.

"It is none of your business to know where the hell I was," she snarled. "I have my damn reasons for…"

Todoroki walked up towards her and stared at the happy students walking towards each other. He kept his eyes fixated on them, lowering his voice to a volume that could only be heard between them. "_You are_ my classmate."

_So what if I am your classmate? Most of my classmates in Konoha gave a shit about where the hell I went._ Hinata cared but she was her best friend. The closest thing Naruto could ever call a sister, because sisters defended each other and cared for each other. Sasuke cared too…but in his own way. He was a bastard, greedy at times, but he cared in his own way.

It was just too bad that he decided to show how much he cared only after his father was dead.

"Classmates don't ask about the whereabouts for their other classmates," Naruto declared.

Todoroki shook his head. "It is enough reason _for me_ to wonder why you would skip school after three days."

"Really? So you decided to tell Aizawa-sensei that I was skipping school." She didn't know what was about Todoroki that made her want to snap like this. It would make sense if it had been Bakugou. The explosive teen had a way of rubbing everyone the wrong way. But Bakugou would never consider going to Aizawa. He would have made a huge scene by telling their classmates that she skipped school.

Todoroki had confronted her about her use of clone and it would make sense if he had been the one to tell Aizawa-sensei that she was skiving school. How else would Aizawa spot the difference between her clone and herself? Her teacher could claim to care her, but care couldn't come after just a few days. It took Iruka-sensei years to care for her…so how could Aizawa-sensei care after three days?

Her clone couldn't have acted too out-of-character and Aizawa-sensei had only known her for a few days. He didn't know her personality or anything like that. So how could he spot the difference? Only explanation had to be Todoroki.

"I didn't tell him," Naruto stopped walking and swirled her head at Todoroki. The boy stared back at her with blank eyes. "You would have gotten into trouble if I told him, so I kept it quiet."

_Wouldn't that make life easier?_ Assholes with Todoroki's background always had something to prove to someone. It was always to get the attention of their family, no matter how much it hurt the people around them. _Smartest in the class. Best shinobi in the class._ Naruto shook her head and gritted her teeth.

"If you didn't tell him then how would he figure out that I was skipping school?"

Todoroki regarded her. His mismatch eyes lingered on her hair, moved passed the whisker marks decorating her cheeks and landed on her eyes. _Why does he always look at my eyes?_ It wasn't the prettiest eyes. Sakura always had prettier eyes, greener than the greens of Konoha, and Ino's eyes had always been _unique._ When Naruto compared her eyes, it just didn't seem like much.

Of course Naruto would never admit out loud, it would mean admitting weakness and she was anything but weak.

"Because their eyes looked different from yours, Uzumaki." Todoroki began to move and Naruto puffed her cheeks before dashing to catch up with the taller boy. _ I am not short but he makes me feel short with his legs._ She grabbed hold of his shoulder. The boy stiffened slightly as if expecting her to hit him, which was weird.

She was furious but not furious enough that Naruto wanted to beat the crap out of him.

That honour was left to someone else.

"My clones are me!"

Todoroki took a deep breath and shook his head. He turned his head around, mismatch eyes gazing at her and the blonde folded her arms against her chest. Unlike him or the other members of her class, she did not have a Quirk. If Naruto did have one, then she wanted one that allowed her to read minds.

It was honestly difficult for her to read what was going through his head.

"Your clones acts friendly to everyone," he explained quietly. "Their eyes shined differently from your eyes…like they are not afraid to trust people."

_Oh, not this bullshit again._

"What? You also think that I have a phobia to the idea of trust? Let me make one thing clear: Uzumaki Naruto is not scared of anything." She dared him to challenge her claim. How could she be scared of an idea? If it was ghosts then yes, she was terrified of them. The idea of never being able to eat ramen was another thing for her to be scared. But trust? There was no way she could have a phobia of an idea.

It made no sense and it made seem like she was weak.

Naruto Uzumaki was not weak.

"You isolate yourself from everyone."

_I have to work to survive and no one really wants to get to know me._ She stopped herself from spilling those words to her classmate. It had been one thing to say those words to Aizawa-sensei. The man had gotten her in a bad time when she felt safe in the apartment that Ero-Sennin helped her find in this country. She wanted to scream at him at the time, but Eri had been on the other side of the door.

So Naruto had no choice but to lower her guard slightly.

So she did the next thing that she was good at and that was lashing out at people. It was a trait about herself that made her childish as Kakashi-sensei and Sakura liked to tell her, but Naruto had never really been a child. There was no better way for her to unleash her anger.

Not unless she listened to the dark voice that lingered inside her head, but Naruto refused to listen to that sinister voice.

"_Me?_ What about you?" Todoroki blinked and Naruto held her head high. "It has only been a few days, but you haven't even attempted to make friends with any of our classmates! Don't preach to me about isolation when you are doing the exact thing."

Todoroki kept quiet and regarded her. There was no lashing out or anger, not even hurt radiated in those mismatch eyes, and Naruto wondered if _just maybe_ she went a little bit too far with her words. But then she remembered how Aizawa took away Eri from her, forced her to stay at home and only allowed her to sent a clone…because _you need to trust me, Uzumaki._ He talked to Aizawa-sensei about something that was not any of his business.

She does not believe one bit that Todoroki didn't talk to Aizawa-sensei about herself.

"I don't know how to make friends."

Naruto blinked and blinked as her classmate stared down at her. _I am joking._ She waited for him to spill those words to her, but Todoroki just stared at her. He looked uncomfortable for admitting those words, but all Naruto could think that it was an act. Todoroki was a pretty boy. The kind of boy that the girls in the Academy would have wanted to date and the boy that all the boys would have wanted to befriend.

_He is bullshitting._ He wanted to wiggle his way out of her anger and to calm her down by pretending that he didn't know how to make friends. Naruto opened her mouth to tell him this, only to close it when Todoroki says:

"_My father_ never allowed me to spend time with the other kids, Uzumaki. I am not lying to you."

It was hard for her to know whether Todoroki was telling the truth or not, but the anger in his voice at the words _my father_ made Naruto think that maybe, just maybe that he was telling her the truth about his past.

"He sounds like an absolute asshole."

That was the end of their conversation.

* * *

_My father never allowed me to spend time with the other kids, Uzumaki._

Shouto could only stared at the large cafeteria in front of him. He doesn't understand what made him decide to tell Uzumaki about the small fact about his life with his father, but it irritated him that Uzumaki would think that he lied about his ability to make friends. His eyes darted around the numerous classmates scattered around the cafeteria, feeling almost out of his depth as he tried to think of what to do.

_Do I just go up to them and ask to sit with them?_ He looked at Midoriya and his group of friends, before flickering his eyes to Kaminari and his group of friends. It made his legs wobble slightly at the thought of interacting with them. What would they even talk about? Kaminari and Mineta focused so much on the female anatomy that it made him feel queasy. Bakugou was just too loud for his taste.

He didn't even know how he feels about Midoriya. The boy seemed to have a very special relationship with All Might, something that he picked up from observing them interact. It probably was because their Quirks were similar. But not many people had Quirks similar to All Might, maybe they were related.

It was possible that Midoriya was the son of All Might.

Shouto shook his head and fixated his eyes on Uzumaki. The girl seemed to be gobbling up her ramen like there was no tomorrow. Of all the options that he had, Uzumaki was his best option. They could talk about the project that Aizawa-sensei assigned them to do. It escaped his mind to talk to his classmate about it on their way to class.

He placed his tray of soba on the table, pulled out a seat and asked. "Is this seat taken, Uzumaki?"

"Go ahead," Uzumaki said reluctantly, slurping her noodles. Shouto sat down and knitted his eyebrows together as his classmate continued to gobble down her food. How did he start a topic? Did he first talk about parents? Wait, no it probably was a bad topic to begin between then. His classmate was an orphan and the thought of just talking about his father made his skin crawl.

It probably be better for him just to get to the point.

"Uzumaki, we need to talk about where and how we are going to do the project."

His classmate slurped, blue eyes never leaving his own eyes. "Simple solution: I do my part at my apartment and you do your part at your home."

Why would he even think that Uzumaki was going to make things easy for him?

"We need to collaborate and consolidate everything by Sunday night," he points out to her. "The project is due on Monday. Why don't we start after school…"

The blond-haired girl put down her chopsticks and shook her head. "Got work."

_Doesn't she have someone that can take her shift? It wouldn't be a big deal._ He stopped himself from saying those words to his classmate. Uzumaki would think he was being a busybody if he asked the question. She would say something to try and annoy the hell out of the both of them.

He would just wait till Uzumaki trusted him and then asked why she wouldn't even consider just switching her switch with someone else.

"Then how about during your break at your work?"

Uzumaki blinked and then stared at him like he was insane for even suggesting the idea. "You want me to do a damn project during my break? Do you know what break means? It means I relax and don't do anything that requires any physical or mental work."

Shouto frowned and realized just what Uzumaki was trying to do to him.

"Then how about after your work?"

He was not going to give her the chance. Shouto would look for any chance not to be at home and for any chance to get his classmate to trust him.

"No can do," his classmate said with a fake cheer to her voice. "I have somebody to visit and I can't afford to not visit them. The sames goes for everyday!"

Shouto frowned and rubbed the sides of his head. _Uzumaki has an excuse for all the reasons that she doesn't want to do the project alone with me._ He wanted her ability to make excuses when it came to his shitty man. There had to be a way to corner his classmate into doing the work with him, a way that didn't involve him bringing Aizawa-sensei into the middle of this.

"When is your day off?"

"Sunday," Uzumaki answered reluctantly. Her eyes brightened and Shouto felt a sense of dread for what was about to be said. "But I have got an apartment to clean and so _many other things to do…_why don't we do it in your house?"

"No!"

Uzumaki tilted her head and her blue eyes shone with mischief. Shouto felt his stomach becoming weird as his classmate clapped her hands together, tilted her head and said. "Is little Shouto-_kun_ scared that Daddy might have the wrong idea about his classmate?"

He was not scared of his father but…

"Don't call me that."

Grey eyes flashed before his eyes and Shouto clenched his hands into a fist.

"What? Shouto-_kun?_" Uzumaki smiled widely and Shouto was taken back when he saw the triumph in her blue eyes. _She wants to use that nickname to get her way of us not working together._ His cheeks began to heat up as the girl continued to chant the nickname to him. She wanted to annoy him, to make him snap, so that he could leave the topic alone and they would never interact again.

He was not going to fall for her trick.

"If you call me Shouto-kun, then do I call you…_Naru-chan?_"

Uzumaki spluttered and flushed a deep shade of red. Those blue eyes that was usually filled with sorrow and mistrust, now came blazing to life. Anger radiated from them, reminding Shouto of the ocean. _Two people can play the same game._ Shouto had never been childish before but Uzumaki made him want to act like a child.

It scared him just how much Uzumaki could affect him.

"Don't ever call me that."

"You don't call me Shouto-kun then I won't ever use that nickname," Shouto offered. "And you stop making excuses on why you can't work with me."

His classmate narrowed her eyes. "I will agree to the first but I will only agree to work with you if we do the project in your home."

Glee shone through those blue eyes and Shouto knew that his classmate believed that she won in their battle. It seemed like she think that nothing would make him be willing to come to her offer, not when he did not like his father. Not when he wanted to have just a few hours away from the shitty man.

He was willing to come to a compromise.

"Fine, we can do it in my house but Uzumaki…my father isn't an easy man. He might ask questions."

His classmate blinked but the shock faded and a fake smile plastered on her face as her blue eyes filled with mistrust.

"He won't be the first father that I pissed off."

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the interactions between Todoroki and Naruto?**


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: I just want everyone to know that the whole chapter is the same from the previous one, except for the last scene as it came to my attention that the last scene makes no sense. I want to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter and added this story to their favourites and follows.**_

* * *

Winters in Konoha had always been terrible if you asked Naruto. Their country might be called the Land Of Fire but she thinks it should have been called the Land of Snow for how cold the country can get. The cold winds always nipped her even though Naruto made sure to wear a lot of layers like the Hokage suggested.

The only good thing about this Winter was that now Naruto had a nice apartment to keep her warm from the icy winter nights.

Everything on television was boring and Naruto had done all the housework needed for her apartment, so it make sense for her to go out into the forest just close to the outskirts of the village to play. She probably should have done the homework that Iruka-sensei gave them, but Naruto saw no point. The man doesn't actually care if she did her homework or not, so why do it?

Besides, the answers to the questions were easy and could be done in ten minutes. She would just have to make a double effort to make sure that 55% of the answers were wrong, or else Ami might just try to steal her homework again.

She probably should have tried to play with Sasuke but Naruto was still angry with her friend for not attempting to defend her from his crazed fangirl. _I didn't think he would be so stupid in believing her!_ Naruto didn't believe that bullshit for one second. She knows from her playdates with Sasuke that his Daddy didn't like it when she got better scores than him.

She knows that he doesn't like her.

"_Of all the people that our son can befriend, he chooses __**her**__?" _She didn't mean to hear it but Naruto heard voices talking in one of the study. Well actually she did mean to hear it. She wanted to know where Itachi was, because Sasuke kept talking about him like he was some kind of God. "_You put him up to it, didn't you Mikoto? You want our son to get together with the spawn of that devil."_

"_Don't you dare call her that! She is the child of my…"_

Naruto doesn't know what happened after that because Itachi caught her. It had been the closest that Naruto has ever gotten to know who might be her parents, and Naruto doesn't even know what stops her from going to Mikoto and asking her about her parents. Mikoto likes her and Naruto thinks Mikoto might be the closest thing she can ever have to a mother.

It was just too bad that Sasuke doesn't like the idea of sharing his mother with her.

"_S-Sorry!"_ Naruto blinks and stopped walking when she caught sight of her seniors cornering one of her classmates. It was the weird classmate. The one with the very pretty dark blue hair and pale lavender eyes, who always seemed to watch her and Sasuke.

Naruto only remembers her because she has _the Byakugan._

Sasuke always tried to steer her away from that classmate, explaining to her that his clan really didn't like their classmate's clan. _We are rivals._ Naruto doesn't understand how they can be rivals when their classmate was scared and didn't pick fights with anyone. Their classmate just keeps to herself in the same way that Naruto and Sasuke kept to themselves.

She thinks their classmate can't ever be Sasuke's rival, because Sasuke would defend himself. Her classmate was quivering and scared out of her mind as those bullies kept taunting her.

It would never be right for her to stand there and not do anything right? Heroes were supposed to help people and Naruto likes the idea of becoming a hero to someone else. Maybe they could be friends, and Naruto likes the idea of having a friend that was a girl.

She wants a friendship like the one that Ino and Sakura has; she doubts Sasuke would allow her to decorate his hair with flowers. Not that Naruto wanted to do it but the idea was there.

"_Quit it!"_ Naruto charged straight towards them. They stopped their taunts and slowly turned their heads at her. Their eyes widened at the sight of her but she focused her eyes on her shy classmate. _They made her cry._ Naruto doesn't like bullies and she hates them even more for making someone cry.

"_Oh, you are that kid!"_ The tallest boy commented. He smiled at her. It was not the small smiles that Sasuke directed to her whenever they were alone and playing in his room. It was not the annoyed, but secretly happy, smiles Shikamaru directed her. It was the same cruel smile that Ami had whenever she wanted to taunt her.

"_I'm not that kid! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the girl that is going to become your future Hokage and don't you dare forget it!"_ Naruto screams it out for the whole world to hear. They glanced at each other for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter.

"_What an idiot!"_

"_You?"_

"_You barely get good scores!"_

Naruto does not even batter an eyelash at those insults. She allowed them to insult her because Naruto knew the truth. She was going to become somebody. She would become the strongest Kunoichi in all of the land and then they would bow down to her. They would look at themselves and think just how stupid they were to underestimate her.

"_You are the idiots."_ The boys growled at her words. The tallest boy clenched his hands into a fist, swung back and then launched his fist at her. Naruto stepped to the side and smashed her fist against his rib, feeling and hearing the sound of his ribs cracking to tiny pieces.

He cried out in pain and clutched his body, moaning in pain.

_And this is our senior? He really isn't something._ Naruto turned to look at the other two boys and blinked when one of the boys grabbed her hair. He yanked it hard while the other boy tried to punch her. Naruto frowns. She grabbed hold of the boy that yanked her hair and pulled him off of her, before swinging him to the boy that tried to punch her.

Both of them smashed into the trees and cried out in pain.

"_You are a monster!"_ The boys cried. _"We are going…"_

Naruto smiled. "_Sure you go ahead and run to your Mummy, but if your Mummy comes then I will tell them that their __**sweet**__ sons was bullying a member of a shinobi clan. I bet her clan will be upset if they know that you dare to bully one of their own…I wonder what they will do to you."_

They gulped at her words and Naruto silently praised herself for paying attention to Sasuke whenever he explains the importance of a shinobi clan to her. It had always been a boring topic to her and she doesn't understand why he thinks she needed to know this.

It was just too boring if you asked her.

Naruto turned her attention to the silent girl and smiles brightly at her. She holds her hand out and the girl just stared wide-eyed at her, looking at her with strange eyes. She doesn't have a name for those strange emotions but Naruto likes it a lot.

It makes her feel nice and makes her feel happy.

"_Are you okay? Those bastards were being really mean about your eyes," _Naruto said. She smiled even wider when the girl blinked at her and Naruto thinks that maybe she might just get a friend. Her classmate did not looks like she wanted to slap her hand away or looked at her like she was dirt beneath her shoes. _"I think your eyes looks really pretty. My name is Uzumaki Naruto…what is your name?"_

The girl smiled and grabbed her hand. Her cheeks were flushed red and Naruto thinks that this would be the first time that she makes a friend that was not some boy.

"_Hyuga…Hyuga Hinata b-but you can call me Hinata, Naruto-chan."_

"_Hinata-chan! I am going to call you, Hinata-chan!"_

That was the day when Naruto became friends with Hinata and it would be one of the few happy memories that Naruto has of her childhood.

* * *

"Uzumaki, can you please take care of that table? I know your shift is nearly over but I have got a date and…well it will only be this one time!"

Naruto was about to hang her apron, only for her male co-worker to run up to her with a nervous look. She put down her apron and looked at her nervous colleague. There was a huge temptation to tell the boy off for scheduling his date during his shift, but it would be wrong for her to do this to him. From what she overheard with the other waiters, she knows her fellow co-worker had been nervous about asking his crush out on a date.

It was not even a big deal when Naruto calculated just how much more money she could get from working overtime. More money means she would have enough money to buy more presents for Eri-chan. The little girl might have gotten a lot of toys and present that day when Aizawa-sensei took her, but Naruto thinks Eri-chan deserves more toys and clothes.

"No problem." Naruto flashed him a smile.

Her colleague blinked and bowed down, thanking her over and over again as the blond-haired girl shook her head. _You better not screw up this date._ Naruto doesn't dare tell him of her thoughts because it sounded like she was rooting for him, and she doesn't even know him. She just knows that his crush looks kind of cute, even if Naruto finds nothing attractive about horns, and his crush really seems to like him.

Naruto doesn't think she was a romantic at heart, but love was something precious.

So Naruto plastered her largest smile, grabbed her notepad and walks over to the table that her colleague asked her to waiter. Several eyes followed her and her boss looked almost annoyed but Naruto doesn't really care what her boss thinks about her overworking. It was just for another hour and then she would be out of here. Another hour and Naruto would be in Aizawa-sensei's apartment to hang out with Eri.

Another hour and she could yell at Aizawa-sensei for pairing her up with the asshole that was Todoroki.

She slowed down when she saw that the table was of her two seniors. _Togata and Amajiki._ Naruto looked over her shoulder to where her colleague was and glared hard at him for putting her there. He smiled nervously, held up his own notepad and scribbled down some letters.

Naruto hoped it was an apology because his handwriting was just terrible.

"Hi, I am Uzumaki Naruto and I will be your waitress for tonight," Naruto said. She forced the fake cheer into her tone and smiled so widely that her cheeks hurt. "What would you guys like to order?"

She kept her blue eyes focused on Togata and then slowly shifted her attention to Amajiki. The forced smile on her face became even larger, only to falter slightly when the boy flushed a bright shade of red. _What is it with guys that looks like Sasuke and their desire to flush red?_ Sasuke flushed red like that once, but when Naruto teased him about being a softie.

When she asked him why he was blushing, her teammate flushed red and said that the weather was just too hot. It was weird because it had been a really cold day when Naruto thinks about it.

Maybe the weather had been hot and she was the weirdo.

"What would you recommend, Uzumaki?" Togata asked. He flickered his eyes to his friend, nudging him on the rib and the boy blinked. She waited for Amajiki to say something but he just muttered something under his breath. _Did he says that he wants whatever Togata-senpai was having?_ Her ears had never been wrong before.

Naruto hummed and tilted her head. In the three years she worked in this café, her boss had made her try every one of her creative dishes. The parfait was always so sweet and sometimes makes her want to cry tears of pleasure. It was also one of the more popular dishes with the customers. The pancakes was also another bonus option, one enjoyed by a lot of people, but it was not her favourite dessert.

She nodded her head.

"Strawberry shortcake."

The cake melted in her tongue when she ate it and was just so pretty in her opinion. Maybe Naruto should ask her boss for the recipe because Eri-chan might just like it. Eri was still a little girl and little girls like sweets, don't they? She would never know since she only started eating after Hinata-chan invited her to the house.

Even then, it had been the more traditional sweets and Naruto likes the western sweets more than the traditional ones that Hinata offered her.

"Then Tamaki and I will take the strawberry shortcake," Togata said happily, handing her back the menu. He smiled even brighter at her. "So how are you finding your first week in Yuuei High so far?"

Naruto felt tempted not to answer the question, but Togata-senpai was a customer. The happier a customer was, the more money she could get since they could give her more tips. More tips meant more money that she could spend on Eri-chan. She could get her that pretty doll that had been on display.

"Great."

_Actually it was crap._ She doubt that her senpai wanted to listen to her as she complained about how Todoroki interfered with her business or how he called her…_Naru-chan._ The anger inside her bubbled over when she recalled how he dared to call her by that nickname.

"You know Nejire is going to be so upset when we tell her that you finally talked to us," Togata laughed and then he tilted his head at her. "Why do you keep quiet around Nejire?"

_Because she is too friendly and I know she wants something from me._ No one could be this friendly with her for no reason. Hinata might be her friend but their friendship formed when Naruto saved the girl from those bullies that hurt her.

She could never tell them this.

"Because she talks really, really fast and I can't keep up."

It was a tiny lie mixed with some truth.

"You will catch up to Nejire's speech after you spend time with her."

Naruto blinked and swirled her head at Amijiki. Blue eyes grew wide when the nervous, _quiet_ boy spoke to her with a nervous smile playing on his lips. The tone carried some fondness and the softness in his eyes made her pause. He flushed a brighter shade of red. There was only one conclusion that she could come up with.

"So how long has Amijiki-senpai likes Hadou-senpai?"

Togata stared at her for a long second while Amijiki just slumped his shoulders. Togata flickered his eyes to her and then to his slumping friend, shaking his head and letting out a huge laugh that could be heard by the whole crowded café. Naruto just blinked, uncertain on what was just so funny about her words.

"Tamaki likes someone else," Togata explained to her. His friend kept furiously shaking his head and seemed to be silently begging for Togata to keep quiet, but the boy just smiled. "_She _is really cute and younger than him. But poor Tamaki has no idea on how to confess his feelings to her, do you think you can give him some idea? Nejire hasn't been of any help."

Naruto raised her eyebrow. "And you are asking me? Why?"

"Yeah, _why_ are you asking _her_?" Tamaki hissed quietly and Naruto feels herself growing petty. Normally, she would never care to help someone for their confession but she was still in a bad mood from what happened earlier with Todoroki.

"You probably have an idea on how a girl would like to be confessed," Togata explained innocently. He smiled widely at her. "How would you like to be confessed?"

_I never thought about it._ Naruto knew a lot of girls imagined how their crushes and future boyfriends would confess to them. They wanted something romantic and to be something big, but Naruto never thought about love. She never had the time to think about it. Love…love just wasn't for her.

"I don't know…I never thought about it."

Togata blinked. "Never thought about it? You look like the kinda of girl that thinks about it sometime."

"Never imagined it," she admitted and the blond-haired girl missed how Amijiki hunched his shoulders at her words. There was no reason for her to lie about it and no harm for her to tell them this. They could never use that piece of information against her.

She flickered her eyes to the hunched boy and mulled over what to do. If she helped them then they would give her more tips, wouldn't they? And helping them with their problem wouldn't be a big deal. The two of them were from different years and they would never spend time with her, so it would never hurt her to help them with this problem.

"What does she like? Your crush?" Naruto elaborated, directing her eyes at Amijiki.

The boy flushed a brighter shade of red and chose not to answer. Naruto glanced at Togata for help and the boy eyed his friend with amusement.

"Ramen," he grinned.

"Smart girl," Naruto complimented. The girl probably couldn't be all that bad if she liked ramen. Only mean people or anyone with bad taste could hate the food of the gods. Maybe that was why she never got along with some of the girls in the Academy.

"Right? Ramen is the best food in the world."

Her senpai might not be so bad if he liked ramen.

"Okay then what else does she like?"

The two seniors glanced at each other and shrugged their shoulders. "We don't know."

Naruto sighed and realized that she really had her work cut out for her. As long as she could help her senpai get his crush and get some tips then it didn't really matter to her about what her senpai knew about his crush.

She just wanted to know how someone could like someone that they didn't know all that well

* * *

_Something is bothering Uzumaki._

Aizawa pressed his lips into a thin line as he watched Uzumaki helped Eri build a castle from the Lego toys that she brought for his foster daughter. The smile on her face was less fake, less forced but there were lines on that forehead and anger seemed to be burning through those eyes. It would not be long before that girl was just going to explode soon.

"I have got to go pee," Eri said quietly, offering a tiny, hesistant smile before dashing to the toilet. Uzumaki smiled and shook her head, blue eyes focused on the block of tower. Aizawa took this as his opportunity to sit beside his student, placed his hand on her shoulder and locked his tired eyes on his student.

"What is bothering you, Uzumaki?" He asked her. It had been on his mind since this morning but the importance of checking up on Eri had been more important at the time. Now, it was clear to him that his student was just so furious over something.

"Uzumaki?" He kept his tone firm and stared down at his teenage student. It was better for his student to unleash her feelings before Eri came back. His foster child seemed to worship the ground Uzumaki walked on, refusing to wear the clothes that Aizawa had brought for her. It would be bad if his foster child picked up on bad habits for handling abuse, and terrible for his student to cling to her anger.

"Todoroki sucks!"

Aizawa pressed his lips into a thin line and the blond-haired girl folded her arms against her chest. This childish trait was something her clone had done in school, something he thought the actual Uzumaki would never do. _But the clone is Uzumaki._ Maybe clones were the true representation of his student's personality like he originally believed.

"What did he do?"

Uzumaki jerked her head at him. "What did he do? He was the one that told you that I skipped school, right?"

_He noticed from the very beginning, huh? _The two teens only had two days to get to know each other when he paired them up but it spoke volumes of how much Todoroki had been watching her.

He really did not want to interfere with whatever spat that those two were currently having, but Aizawa would like his classroom to be peaceful. He wanted his students to get along with each other even if they hated each other guts. Point in case was when he decided to pair Bakugou with Midoriya, even though All Might and the other teachers thought it was a terrible idea.

You had to learn how to get along with everybody even if you hated their guts.

"He didn't come to me," Uzumaki blinked and Aizawa kept his eyes fixed on his student's mistrustful eyes. He would make it clear to her that he was not lying to her. "I knew from the way that your clone acted too friendly with everyone that something was up."

Uzumaki groaned and Aizawa focused his eyes on the castle that his student helped his foster daughter to make. Everything about the castle so far looked perfect, but there were little imperfections. Imperfections made because Uzumaki and Eri were too much in a rush to finish it.

"What is it about Todoroki that is bothering you, Uzumaki?"

His student snorted. "I'm not having a heart-to-heart talk with you, Aizawa-sensei!"

"Humour me."

Aizawa did not really know how to be a teacher to a child that had no parents. He knew there was a line that should never be crossed between students and teachers. He should only be her teacher, never be her father, but her Guardian was god knows where…and it meant he needed to fulfil the role for her. The girl probably did not like it but Aizawa would do his job.

He would care for his student and her needs.

"He tells me that I am isolating myself! He is the one doing this, not me! He can't preach to me!"

Aizawa sighed. _She is still in denial about her problem._ Uzumaki Naruto was stubborn, probably one of the most stubborn students that he ever had to teach and care for. She smiled with her mouth while her eyes looked at the world with mistrust. Life had been hard on her that much he could guess, but how did he get her to overcome her fear of trust?

Maybe he should explain why he paired them together.

"I paired you with Todoroki because the both of you are very different from each other," Aizawa explained. His student blinked and he focused his eyes on his student. "Todoroki is very calm and he thinks things through, but the kid isn't much of a talker. You, on the other hand, can talk a lot."

Uzumaki snorted. "I keep quiet in class!"

"Didn't you tell me that your clones are you?" His student nodded and Aizawa fixated his eyes on his student. "Then if your clones can act friendly and grab the attention of a whole audience, then you know how to make history sound fun to even the dead. Todoroki is not capable of doing that."

That clone might have been a copy of the original Uzumaki but it had been created by Uzumaki. The clone could easily make friends with everyone and made so many of the students smile. That clone showed what was the real Uzumaki's personality. The real Uzumaki was a girl that wanted friends. It was just that original Uzumaki was just holding herself back.

"For all you know, Todoroki can…"

"No one is perfect, Uzumaki," Aizawa informed her. "The pairing up for this project is to help the both of you to overcome your weakness."

"And what is my weakness?"

_You rush through things and that is going to ruin you when you become a hero._ He read through her files, saw the clip of her practical exam and read through her answers for the written paper. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary until the written paper.

It really disappointed him.

"You rush into things," Aizawa explained. "Your written paper would have been better if you haven't made so many silly mistakes. Todoroki aced his written exam, not as well as Yaoyorozu, but it was impressive."

Uzumaki frowned. "Why didn't you pair me with Yaoyorozu?"

He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Because she would have fallen for any tactics that you have tried to use on Todoroki," Aizawa said dryly. "I thought things through, Uzumaki."

His student flushed a light shade of red and laughed. "I didn't try…"

"I watched you two during lunch," Aizawa said dryly. "Don't take me for a fool."

Uzumaki laughed nervously.

It might not have been the best of interactions but it was an improvement for both of the teens. Maybe it had been impulsive at the time but Aizawa thinks just maybe that he was not wrong about pairing them together for the project.

* * *

_Shouto is really annoyed._

Fuyumi slowly ate her rice and fixated her eyes on her youngest brother, who seemed to be really interested in playing with his rice. She flickered her eyes to Natsuo, silently hopping for her brother to snap out of his funk and start helping her with their baby brother. She knew Natsuo was closer to Touya, felt more of a connection with their older brother, but he should try to get to know their youngest brother.

Natsuo did not even look up from his food and Fuyumi sighed.

"What's bothering you, Shouto?"

Fuyumi waited for Shouto to give his usual denial about his problem. There was almost no point for her to ask him because her _youngest brother _ would never open up to her. Some people would say she should give up on her baby brother but Fuyumi loves Shouto from the moment that their mother brought him home from the hospital.

She blinked when Shouto sighed.

"My classmate is coming over this Sunday."

Fuyumi blinked and blinked as her brain tried to process what Shouto just told them. _Classmate? Is this actually happening? _Her brother never brought anyone to their house before. None of her brothers ever brought anyone here and Fuyumi only brought her best friend here, once. Father had nearly ruined their friendship when he brought up her friend's mother.

"What is the big deal? Afraid that they will worship the ground that dear Father's walks on?" Natsuo grumbled.

Shouto darted his eyes at her and silently asked her about what was wrong with their brother. _I can't tell you that his crush just kept asking him more questions about Dad than on him._ Her youngest brother was a lot of things but he probably would not care one bit that Natsuo just had his heart broken by his crush.

"She cornered me," Shouto admitted. "She wanted to avoid doing the project with me…so she gloated me into doing the project here."

Natsuo snorted. "What could she have done to make you not want to bring her here? And why wouldn't you want her to come? Father dearest would be _so happy _to meet someone that you can have kids with."

Fuyumi felt her eyebrows twitched and without a second thought, she kicked him in the shins for making such a thoughtless comment. She _knows_ he was upset about his date. The girl did not really like him for who he was, but it was not Shouto's fault. It was not even their father's fault. It was his fault for not making sure that she liked him for who he was.

Shouto was just as much of victim as they were.

"She called me Shouto-kun."

Fuyumi's eyes widened and stared at her quiet brother. Did he do something again? Shouto-kun was a nickname that not even she was allowed to use when it came to him. Even though she took over when it came to raising him, Shouto never accepted for her to use that nickname for him.

She stopped after an incident.

"Did you have…"

Shouto shook his head and Fuyumi relaxed her shoulders, while Natsuo frowned. He flickered his grey eyes between the two of them, willing for one of them to explain the significance of that nickname to them. She shook her head, silently telling him that she would explain why the nickname was a taboo for their baby brother.

"Did you tell her anything about…"

Shouto shook his head. "Uzumaki knows how to get under someone's skin and I gave her the hint that I didn't like that nickname. So in an attempt to make me give up, she decided to say it again and again."

_Uzumaki?_ Fuyumi frowned. Her best friend was an Uzumaki but they were a nice family that cared a lot about each other. They were the perfect family and she wished their family could be just as warm as the Uzumaki family. Maybe things would have been different if their father had been like that family. Their mother would be here with them and trying to comfort Shouto, instead of her.

But Fuyumi was more interested in knowing how Uzumaki could get her baby brother to react to her, because no one was able to do it.

**~X~**

"Have you seen this girl?"

Hari tapped his feet as he waited for the owner of a clothing store to look at the photo of Eri. It had been two days since Eri ran away from the hideout. Kai had been furious for the last two days, murdering or hurting any subordinate that claimed it would be difficult to locate the missing girl. The only clue they had was some blond hair, but that was it.

It would have been easier if they had some cameras on the scene or even some witness for them to know where that blond hair had come from. It had been convenient that it happened at the dead of night, where very little people would walk through the alleyway. The only thing they were certain was that the person did not hold the same morals that the civilians and heroes carried.

The civilians and heroes would have sent the subordinate to the hospital, not left him to die from his wounds.

"Oh I remember her," the store owner said. She was a simple old lady with a pair of cat ears on top of her head. The woman nodded. "She was here with her sweet older sister. Poor dear kept clinging to her sister like she thinks she was going to disappear from her sight."

"Sister? How old would you say her sister was?" Hari questioned.

The old lady blinked and tilted her head at him. The implication of sister meant the rescuer was nothing but a child, who seemed to think of themselves as a hero. Sister implied that the girl was young enough not to be seen as a mother by the people around them, putting her in her teens.

Most people would never think a teenager was capable of doing what that girl did, but Hari worked in the Yakuza for a long time now. He had been under Kai for so long that he had seen what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge. A teenager was just as capable of murder as an adult.

"I think she must be around fifteen or sixteen," the old lady answered. She frowned and tilted her head. "What have they done again? I'm sorry but I don't remember why you were looking for this girl."

Hari forced himself to smile tightly. "You see her parents sent me to look for their daughter. The poor child decided to run away and I am just afraid that the teenager didn't know what she was signing herself up for."

It was the perfect lie to fit the scenario. If he claimed that the teen kidnapped Eri then there was a chance that the woman would call the police and the whole thing would be investigated. The bullet Kai spent so long working on, would be ruined the moment that the police got involved. This would just draw out less attention to themselves.

"The poor parents."

_Poor doesn't describe the rage that Kai is currently feeling._ Hari could only be grateful that he had decided not to return back to the liar without a single clue. It was well known that Kai would murder any one of his subordinates who claimed to have given up on searching for Eri, and he already murdered the subordinates that had failed in their job of keeping Eri locked up.

Those subordinates deserved it. Everyone knew just how important Eri was to their plans of eradicating the world of Quirks.

"Can you please describe the teenager to me?" He asked.

The old woman hummed. "Would it be better if I just sketch it out? I am not very good with describing appearance, you see."

"Yes, a sketch would be helpful."

Hari pressed his lips into a thin line as the woman took out a notebook and pencil from her drawer. With her eyebrows knitted together, the woman began to sketch out the details of the teenager that managed to rescued Eri from them.

"Here you go," the woman smiled and handed him the drawing. "I hope her parents find her soon."

He nodded his head and looked down at the sketch. The one thing that clearly defined the girl from the other teenagers was probably those whisker marks on her face, and those sad eyes. Other than that, the teen looked like she could be like any other teenager in this country.

Hari sighed.

Now that they had the appearance down, Hari would just have to send his subordinates on a look out for the teen. They needed to bring her in for questioning, torture her for ruining Kai's plans and take Eri away from her.

Kai would remind Eri about what happened to the people that tried to rescue her.

* * *

_**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the interaction between the characters? And of the pacing of the story? The arcs for the story and the timeline of BNHA and Naruto are going to be loose, and wouldn't follow canon as you can see. **_


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter and everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows.**

* * *

The Todoroki household was nothing like Naruto imagined when Todoroki handed his address to her. She expected a nice, modern house or even some kind of apartment but not some kind of traditional, expensive house in a very good neighbourhood. The only indication that Todoroki might have been some rich boy had been his words about his father.

But there was nothing about Todoroki that hinted he might have come from a traditional family.

_It almost feels like I am meeting Hinata-chan's family again for the first time, or even that bastard's father again._ Naruto tugged her hoodie and pressed her lips into a large smile. She took a deep breath, slipped one hand into her pocket, and pressed the doorbell.

The bell rang, echoing throughout the whole neighbourhood, and Naruto shifted in her place. Blue eyes darted around the neighbourhood, wondering if any of the neighbours were peering through their windows and judging her. There was always something about expensive, traditional, houses that makes Naruto thinks they are judging her.

It was not long before the door slid opened and Todoroki stared at her. He wore a simple white v-shaped t-shirt and a pair of jeans. If Naruto was being honest, it surprised her. If someone lived in a traditional house then she expected them to wear a haori, instead he just wore some modern clothes.

He looked nice if you asked her.

"_Really good-looking,_" a traitorous voice whispers in her mind and Naruto inwardly grimaced. That voice made her sound like she admired her classmate in someway. He was an asshole that got involved in her business. There was nothing about him that made him seem attractive or even nice.

"You can come in, Uzumaki," Shouto said, snapping her out of her thoughts. He made no indication that he noticed the way she kept staring at him, only simply waiting for her to come inside his house. The one good thing about her classmate was the fact he would not make her seem like a fool for acting in this way.

Other people would have teased her for acting shock at the sight in front of her.

Naruto slipped into the house and takes off her shoes, before following her classmate through his house. No words were spoken between them, allowing her to soak in and analyse the kind of household her classmate lived in. You can know a lot about a person through the house they lived, if you asked her.

The hallway had no photos, not even baby photos of her classmate, or decoration in the house. There was not even a photo of Todoroki's mother or even any wedding photos in the household. _It feels really cold._ The lack of photos and the lack of sound troubled her. It made her stomach turn because _every house has photos of their kids and important moments of their lives._ It was what make the difference between a house and a home.

She even had photos in her apartment just to make her apartment feel a little bit warm.

"So where do you want to do the project? In the living room or your room?" Naruto asked. She wanted to break the silence between them and forget how the coldness nipped her fingers. _How can Todoroki live in a house like this?_ The Hyuga clan compound was not even this bad, which spoke volumes when Naruto considered how much she complained about the coldness to Hinata-chan.

Shouto stopped and turned to look at her. He tilted his head, mismatch darting to the numerous rooms surrounding them, and Naruto did not miss how his eyes lingered on the large door that laid across them. _What was so important about that room and why does he look at it with hate?_ The question was on the tip of her tongue but Naruto shoved it to the back of her mind.

If she asked that kind of question then it implied she wanted to get to know him and be his friend.

"My room," Shouto answered. "No one would disturb us."

_Wouldn't they disturb us if we were in your room? I hear parents and siblings can mistake a closed door for things._ Her female classmate in Middle School once confessed that her father barged into her room, because she brought a boy home to study for an exam. It made no sense in Naruto's mind. Why should a parent care about those things? It was not like her classmate would be foolish enough to do it when the parents were there.

Then again, Ero-Sennin had been capable of peeking into the girl's bath in broad daylight.

"Who else is in the house?" Naruto asked, tilting her head as her classmate lead her to his room. She darted her eyes around the corridor, searching for any signs that there were more people living in this house. Everything about this house made her think of just how _impersonal_ and _uncomfortable_ to live here. How could he live in a house like this? She would run away from this house if she lived here.

Home should be filled with laughter and joy. It should have pictures of families, not filled with blank walls and shelves that has nothing but simple decoration.

"My sister is making lunch so she won't disturb us and my father is in the training room…training," Todoroki answered quietly. He shifted to one feet. "My brother is out with his friends."

_You really don't like your father. _Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and stared at Todoroki's back, noticing for the first time since their acquittance that his back was hunched and the dislike in his voice. _Not dislike, anger._ It rolled off of him in waves that Naruto knows was not healthy for her classmate.

"And your Mum?"

Todoroki kept quiet and balled his hand into a tighter ball. _Bad question to ask._ Something told her that it had been a bad idea to bring the topic of his mother. The words _I am sorry_ was on the tip of her tongue, ready for her to spill out of her throat but she held herself back. It was none of her business of the story about Todoroki and his mother. How could she have known not to ask? They weren't friends.

They barely know each other.

"I don't want to talk about it."

His tone carried no emotion but Naruto felt the sadness and pain rolling off of him. Blue eyes focused on her classmate and for the first time since their acquaintance, she looked at him for the first time. He infuriated her with the way he butted in with her business. The fact he confronted her clone was something that angered her till this day, even though it had been three days since the incident.

She did not want to get close to Todoroki because he _would break_ her trust. It would be stupid of her to trust him like a naïve idiot and Naruto _was not that girl anymore. _But she always hated when the people around her was sad. It made her stomach turn. Her throat always burned and it brought back memories that Naruto never wanted to confront.

"Does it have to do with why you hate your father?"

Todoroki swirled his head at her. His mismatch eyes widened at her accusation, causing Naruto to rub the back of her neck. Her stomach kinda feel weird with the way he stared at her, and maybe she should have kept her mouth shut. The more she talked, the more likely she was going to get close to him and get attach. _But wouldn't that prove Aizawa-sensei right?_ She did not have a phobia of trust.

She would just prove it to him.

Beside, Todoroki would never really become her friend.

"You don't hide your hate for your father," Naruto answered his silent question. She looked straight ahead at the room in front of them and avoids his searching eyes. "It is obvious to anyone with some observation skill and I know I should scold you…'cause I am an orphan and there is that stereotype about us. I mean orphans would always tell you to appreciate what you have got."

She forced an even tighter smile and her classmate gazed at her. His mismatch eyes, usually blank, looked at her with so much curiosity that Naruto was almost tempted to stop the conversation there. But pale lavender eyes flashed before her eyes and she pushed herself to talk about it.

This would not hurt her.

"But not every parent is good," Naruto finished lamely.

Todoroki regarded her. She would never expect him to open up to her because issues with parents could never be opened up in situation like these. People usually opened up to her after she beat the living crap out of them. They haven't fought each other, so there was no reason for him to tell her anything.

"You don't know who my father is, do you Uzumaki?"

Naruto blinked and knitted her eyebrows. "Is he supposed to be someone famous?"

"My father is Endeavour," Todoroki answered with a reluctant sigh and Naruto thinks she heard a leak of surprise in his tone that she had no clue about who his father was. Why would she know? She was not hero obsessed like their classmates. "He ranks just below All Might."

Naruto observed her classmate and feels her eyes softened when she saw the waves of anger and disgust rolling off of him. No matter how many times she tried to distance herself from people and no matter how many times she tried to convince herself to stop caring about people, she could never do it.

She could only tell him about her opinion because there was no advice that she could give. Parents were not her forte. _You never knew your parents._ Those words echoed in her ear like it always did whenever the topic of parents came up, and the anger inside of her bubbled as a pair of eyes flashed before her.

She was better than this.

"I have heard about him in the news but I don't give a shit about who the fuck your father is," Naruto tells him. "Your father can be the Emperor of Japan and I still won't take my words back. You can be amazing in your job but be a shitty parent."

Todoroki blinked and just stared at her. She should just stop there and tell him that they needed to focus on their project, but something stopped her. Maybe it was the fact Todoroki believed she didn't trust anyone. She always hated it when someone thought they had her pin her down on something. Todoroki did not earn her trust but what she was about to say…he could never use it against her.

It would never affect her.

"I knew a boy that had a father who was amazing in his job," Naruto told him. "But when it came to acting like a parent to his sons, well he was an asshole. His wife, on the other hand, was amazing and gentle…"

Her throat burned and Naruto forced herself to ignore the ache in her heart._ Move on. She wasn't even your mother._ She forced herself to smile even wider and to push back the sadness that threatened to cripple her again. _I don't have the right to be sad._ The villagers liked to remind her of that fact and despite what Sasuke told her on that day, Naruto thought the villagers were right.

She always caused destruction to the people that she came close to.

"Most people would never jump to your conclusion."

Naruto felt her lips twitched and the desire to laugh was great, because…_I am not like most people._ A tiny laugh escaped from her lips and Todoroki stared at her. She rubbed the back of her neck while her classmate regarded her with a thoughtful look.

Her classmate might be an asshole but Naruto thinks that nothing she told him could be used against her. The things she told him would never hurt her. It did not affect her because the information didn't reveal anything about her. Todoroki could never hurt her with this information.

"I can be unpredictable, Todoroki."

Todoroki stared at her.

"You aren't going to call me, Asshole?"

"Don't ruin the moment, Todoroki."

* * *

"Shouto, it is lunch time!"

Shouto looked away from the poster and flickered his eyes to his sister, who stood in front of his bedroom door with a nervous smile. Fuyumi glanced at Uzumaki, grey eyes lingering on the bright blond hair of his classmate (or was she now a friend? He didn't know), and raised a single eyebrow at him. _Is everything alright?_ Shouto nodded. His sister let out a sigh of relief.

"I guess I should go…" Uzumaki grabbed her bag and opened her mouth to say her goodbye, but his sister furiously shook her head. Hope shone through her grey eyes and Shouto knows his sister wanted to get to know at least one of his classmate.

"You can stay for lunch, Uzumaki-san." Fuyumi insisted. "I made enough food for everyone."

His classmate opened her mouth to protest but his sister must have sensed that Uzumaki was going to make an excuse, because Fuyumi grabbed hold of white hands and dragged her out of his room. He kept his expression completely blank as his sister began to question Uzumaki about her life, carefully avoiding any topic about her parents.

He followed behind them and listened as Uzumaki dodged any personal questions that Fuyumi threw at her. _She really didn't trust strangers._ Shouto warned Fuyumi about his classmate's habits of dodging personal questions, but his older sister seemed to have chosen to ignored his warnings from last night. Uzumaki really disliked divulging any information about herself to anyone.

_Not every parent is good._

Shouto paused as the words echoed in his mind. How could Uzumaki come to this conclusion with just from his emotions? She had been the last person he expected to have come to this realization. Why did she tell him all those things? Did this mean that they were friends? Well he did know at least that Uzumaki didn't dislike him. She did tell him some things, which meant he was getting closer to getting her trust…right?

Shouto kept his expression completely blank as the three of them entered the dining room. As usual, he took the seat furthest away from his father while Fuyumi took the seat right beside Enji. Uzumaki tilted her head, debated for a couple of seconds, before taking the seat right beside him.

His father looked up from his newspaper and darted his eyes to Uzumaki. "Who is this, Shouto? You didn't tell me that you were bringing someone over."

_Because I shouldn't tell you._ Shouto bit his tongue from saying those words to him. It wouldn't be a good idea to say those words in front of his classmate, not when she already had a bad impression of his father. He did not even know why he was trying to control himself in front of his classmate.

Shouto took a deep breath, opened his mouth to answer but only to close it when Uzumaki stood up from the table. She flashed a fake, serene smile and bowed slightly to his father. Endeavour raised his eyebrow, looking almost slightly delighted that someone was showing him some manners. None of his brothers nor him had listened to him when he tried to install etiquette lessons.

Only Fuyumi had taken it to heart.

Shouto did not even know how Uzumaki might know, not when she made it clear that she had no regards when it came to manners.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said softly with a fake smile plastered on her face. "I am your son's classmate, Todoroki-san."

_She is really acting polite and formal._ Shouto observed his classmate and noticed how her pose was reminiscent of how someone from a very traditional family would act. It was a curiosity because he presumed Naruto was just like Bakugou, never caring or having any knowledge about manners. Yet, his classmate just shown him that she knew better manners then him.

His father looked almost approvingly and Naruto sat back down. The fake smile was still plastered on her face as his father kept flickering back and forth between them. Shouto kept his expression completely blank and leaned slightly closer to his classmate, lowering his voice.

"What was that?" He asked her. "I didn't think you were capable of acting…"

"Polite and demure?" Shouto nodded, not bothering to deny those were the words that he was about to use. His classmate leaned closer to him, her blond hair tickled his nose and the scent of orange crept into his nostrils. "Todoroki, don't presume to know me. There are a lot of things about me that you don't know about."

Shouto eyed her. "What are you planning?"

"Don't get your panties in a bunch," Uzumaki said quietly. Her tone carried a sense of nonchalance and her blue eyes held no emotions. "I have no plans of impressing your Daddy if that is your concern."

His eyebrows twitched at the title that Uzumaki bestowed on his father. Shouto had never called that man Daddy and to hear someone say it like that, really annoyed him because it meant he liked his old man. _Why does she do this?_ He thought they were getting along, so why was she withdrawing from him again? He made certain not to do anything that pushed her to her limits.

"Just watch and learn from the master on how to annoy a strict father," Uzumaki said quietly.

Shouto blinked. "And how is acting polite going to be of any help?"

"Just watch and learn, Todoroki."

His father eyed the two of them from across the table while his sister looked at the two of them in amusement. _Why is she looking at us like that?_ The two of them haven't done anything that could be considered funny. It felt like they have been arguing for the last couple of minutes since he had no clue of what Uzumaki planned to do.

"So Uzumaki-san, what is your relationship with my son?"

Shouto jerked his head at the question and flickered his eyes at Uzumaki. He waited for her to deny their relationship, to say that she hated him or that they were not friends. Shouto had no idea of what even to describe their relationship. Classmates seemed good but it felt wrong. Friends was one that he wanted to use, but Uzumaki made it clear of how much she disliked him for meddling in her business.

"We are _very close_ friends," Naruto declared with a cheeky smile on her lips. Todoroki blinked and blinked, trying to understand why his father looked at her with absolute horror and why his sister was flushing a bright shade of red. There was nothing wrong about her wording, except they were not close friends.

They weren't close.

"_What are you doing?" _He hissed into her ear. His classmate was trying to dig a hole and while Shouto found amusement in seeing his father turning red at the comment, he had a very bad feeling of what his classmate was about to do. His sister just choked in her drink and to his amazement, Naruto flushed a very pretty shade of red.

_What did I do?_

"_Acting,"_ Uzumaki whispered with a smile plastered on her face. "You wanna piss off your Dad? Well I know what to do."

As if on cue, his father growled. "Shouto is aiming to be the number one hero and he won't be able to reach his goal if he has a distraction like you."

_What does he think is happening between Uzumaki and me?_ Shouto had the strangest desire to hide under the table and just wait the whole thing out. He wanted so badly to correct his father's misgiving because Uzumaki and him were just classmates. He might like to get close with Uzumaki, especially now when he saw the wonderful shade of red that his father was turning into.

"Distractions? Me? But Todoroki and I are only friends," Uzumaki smiled innocently. "We aren't in that kind of relationship, Todoroki-san. But for your information, friends can make people stronger and can help them reach to the top. No one has ever reached the top without some help from their friends."

Shouto swirled his head at his classmate, who avoided his eyes. Those blue eyes focused on his father. Seriousness and silent anger filled those eyes, making him wonder if his classmate was really serious about the two of them being friends. Were they friends? He wasn't wrong in thinking that they had somehow became friends.

"Maybe that is why you can't ever beat All Might," Uzumaki continued and his father clenched his hands. His sister swirled her head at him, silently asking him if she put his classmate up to this. He shook his head. "Rude asshole like you take for granted the bonds of friendship and you are a rude asshole that likes to jump to conclusion."

_What was she doing? Why was she doing this?_

"Uzumaki, what are you doing?" Shouto asked her quietly.

His classmate turned to look at him. "I am doing what you are terrified of doing. Have you ever confronted him about your actual feelings? Have you ever fucking told him that you think he is an asshole that needs to change his damn behaviour? Have you ever shouted at him?"

No.

"Friends? Who needs friends when you are at the top?" His father spat. "Friendship is a waste…"

"When a person has someone that they truly want to protect then they can become strong," Uzumaki declared with convection. There was no emotion in her eyes but he heard the slight wobble in her voice. "A person wants to become stronger when they have someone they want to protect. I have been here for the last four hours and I understand why everyone hates your guts."

He needed to stop this.

"Uzumaki…"

His classmate ignored him and locked eyes on the furious eyes of his father. If it had been anyone else then they would have flinched from the rage, but Uzumaki held her head high. It was almost like she held no fear for his father and Shouto envied her in that moment. He might not care about what his father thinks but there was always that fear inside of him.

"You are never going to compare to All Might because All Might gives a shit about people and their feelings," Uzumaki declared. "Strength means jack shit when you aren't doing a job for the right reason. Assholes like you are the reasons that criminals are made because you push and push people to the point that they break from the pressure."

His sister swirled her head at him and silently asked him if he told Uzumaki anything about their mother. Shouto shook his head. He was not comfortable enough to tell Uzumaki about what happened with their mother, not when he had no reason to tell Uzumaki about what happened. They did not have that kind of relationship so…

Uzumaki must be talking from her own experience.

"Bastards like you are greedy for power," Uzumaki kept her eyes focused on his furious father. "That kind of greed ruins families and people. Innocent people gets hurt and I want to know one thing: what makes _you_ different from those criminals?"

His father bristled at the comment and Shouto just stared at his classmate. She avoided his eyes and just ate her meal in peace while Enji looked almost disturb by the comment made by his classmate.

Shouto didn't know what to think of his classmate, except he felt delighted at the knowledge that his classmate managed to tear his father apart.

* * *

"Why did you say all those things to him?"

Naruto looked away from her bag and stared at Todoroki. Their project was done, sitting proudly on Todoroki's table, which meant that it was time for her to leave this house and go back home. Mismatch eyes stared at her with curiosity and another emotion that she could not make out of. The only thing Naruto knew was that maybe Todoroki's eyes looked kind of pretty, and he had an asshole for a father.

She knew he had a shitty life even if Todoroki never told her in so many words.

"Because I know someone needed to tell him that he is an asshole," Naruto declared. She knows it was bad manners to tell a classmate about how much of an asshole their father was, but she never cared about protocol. "Look I didn't do it because I like you or anything. You are still an asshole that butted in my business, so consider this me paying it back. It might also be my way apologizing for accusing you of going to Aizawa-sensei about my skipping."

She needed to stop babbling.

"This doesn't mean that I like you or anything," she continued on. "It just means that I don't like assholes and…"

_Why the hell am I babbling like Midoriya babbles about heroes?_ Naruto wanted to know what happened to the filter inside of her brain, but there was something really weird about his eyes. Maybe it was the reason that her brain decided to just let her mouth continue to babble weird nonsense.

Todoroki quirked his lips and said. "Thank you."

Naruto stopped her babbling and blinked her eyes at her classmate. It was not a smile but it was probably the closest thing to a smile that Todoroki could ever make. It suited him more than that brooding thing he had going for him. Okay, so maybe her classmate was an asshole but…he was not the usual type of asshole that she dealt with.

Most of the assholes that she knew never thanked her for her actions.

"A lot of people would have done what I did to your father."

"Most people would be scared shitless to tell all the things that you have said to my father," Todoroki said quietly. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked almost uncomfortable. She didn't blame him because Naruto felt just as uncomfortable as him. "They see my father's status and refused to acknowledge his bad habits."

Naruto knew it.

"I did it because he reminded me of my best friend's father."

Todoroki blinked, looking almost surprised at her words, and Naruto just stared at him. She was a fool to tell him this piece of information, but the asshole made it seem like she was doing it from the goodness of her own heart. Naruto was not good or innocent like the other members of their class. She was not evil like the villagers think she was.

She didn't know where she stands, but Naruto knew one thing Todoroki was nothing like Hinata-chan, while Endeavour reminded Naruto so badly of Hisashi Hyuga.

"I didn't do it for any other reason—"

"I know," Todoroki interjected. "And I won't pry for any information…but your best friend is lucky to have someone like you by her side when she was growing up."

_Hinata-chan was not the lucky one to have me by my side, if anything I was the lucky to have a friend like Hinata-chan by my side._

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think of the developing relationship between Naruto and Todoroki as well as your thoughts on the interaction between Naruto and Endeavour.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_Why doesn't Sakura-chan like me?_

Naruto knew it was wrong for her to transform herself into Sasuke. It was immature and childish but she really wanted to know if she did something wrong to make her female teammate not like her. As soon as Iruka-sensei declared that they were teammates, Sakura-chan just looked so annoyed and frustrated. She wanted to know if maybe she was wrong and Sakura-chan might accept her.

It was the main reason she tied Sasuke up and decided to find Sakura. It didn't surprise her to see Sakura-chan sitting by herself in the bench. _Sakura-chan hasn't had any friends since Ino and her stopped being friends._ She heard rumours that it was because of Sasuke. Naruto could never understand how you can stop being friends with someone, because you liked the same guy.

_Weirdo._ Naruto forced herself to make the same stupid expression as the boys in those romantic movies that Hinata-chan likes to watch. Sakura flushed a light shade of red and begins to look away from her._ I thought you would jump on the chance since Sasuke is looking at you like this._ Shouldn't Sakura-chan approach her? She didn't understand why Sakura avoided Sasuke's eyes.

Naruto mentally shook her head and began to approach Sakura. _What should I say to her? Wait, Sakura-chan doesn't like her forehead…everyone used to bully her about her forehead._ Right, she would compliment her forehead and that would fool Sakura-chan into thinking that she was Sasuke.

"_You have a charmingly wide forehead."_ Naruto cringed at her words but she thinks that is what Sakura-chan wanted to hear. Just like Sakura was so self-conscious about her forehead, she was a little bit self-conscious of the whisker marks that decorated her cheeks.

"_What!"_ Naruto wondered if the jig was up and if she needed to stop speaking, because Sakura seemed surprise. _Think of another cheesy line._ Sakura was kind of predictable when it comes to what she wanted to hear. A lot of the girls were, if someone took the time to pay attention to them.

"_It makes me want to kiss it."_ Sasuke was going to kill her once he found out about the things that she was saying to Sakura. Naruto actually wanted to puke but she didn't know what else to say to her teammate. She didn't know how to cheer her up…and maybe Naruto was also being a little bit petty. If Sakura ever found out that it was her then she would pummel her for this.

Sakura flushed a bright shade of red and Naruto really had to wonder how her teammate could fall for such cheesy words. The lines spoken by her weren't lines that Sasuke would say. Anyone who knew the bastard would know this. Sasuke wasn't sweet. He was cold and aloof.

A complete and utter bastard.

Naruto took a deep breath and take a seat beside her teammate. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the clouds were drifting and the birds sang their usual song. This day should be happy for Naruto because today was the day that she became a genin.

She was happy because Naruto had her former friend by her side, but she had the girl that always got annoyed whenever she tried to invite her out. Hinata kept telling her that she was doing it the wrong time, but Naruto always think that maybe her teammate would cheer up after a rejection if they ate together.

"_I have got a question to ask you, Sakura."_ Naruto leaned her upper body forward and crossed her arms. She kept her eyes fixated on the trees. "_What do you think of Naruto?"_

Naruto wanted to understand what was it about her that annoyed her teammate. Was it the way her voice was loud? Why didn't she acknowledge her? What was she doing wrong? Naruto thought they could be friends because they were both outcasts. Naruto had been the outcast in school because of her pranks and grades, while Sakura had been excluded because of her forehead. Sakura didn't have any friends and Naruto thinks that she must be lonely without Ino.

Naruto knew she would be lonely without Hinata-chan.

"_She knows I likes you and she always purposely tries to get in the way,"_ Naruto blinked and knitted her eyebrows. What had she done to interfere? All she ever did was ask her to come out with her. "_She enjoys making me feel bad. Naruto…she doesn't understand one single thing about me."_

Naruto frowned and knitted her eyebrows. What did she mean by that? What had she done to make her teammate feel bad? All she ever did was asked her to have lunch, granted after Sasuke rejects her…but how could that make her feel bad? There was nothing wrong about asking someone to have lunch. Naruto did the same thing with Hinata-chan and her friend doesn't mind.

"_She is just annoying."_

_Annoying, huh?_ Naruto felt her heart break slightly at the comment. Did it really annoy her to have her come and have lunch with Hinata and her? She doesn't even know why it hurts. Naruto had long accepted that her teammate would always reject her requests, but there was always that thought that maybe it would be different.

That maybe Sakura would acknowledge her and treat her in a similar way that she treated Sasuke.

"_All I really want is for you to accept me, Sasuke. That's all."_

Naruto stared at her teammate and felt weirded out when her teammate came close to her with a strange face that made her want to hurl. _I understand the desire to be acknowledged but…I ain't doing this shit._ It was a terrible idea to transform into Sasuke, especially since it looked like she might get another unwanted peck on the lips.

So she made an excuse about needing to go to the toilet and thinks that her heart ached when her teammate claimed about her not understanding her…

_Because Sakura-chan doesn't understand me at all._

Naruto would probably understand her teammate better if Sakura-chan had just accepted her invites and allowed her and Hinata-chan to get to know her.

Maybe Sakura-chan would come to accept her.

It would only be nearly a year later when Naruto came to understand about who mattered the most to two-thirds of her team.

* * *

"Your presentation was awesome, Uzumaki and Todoroki!"

Both Todoroki and Naruto blinked when Jirou and Kaminari turned around from their seats. The presentation was done with Aizawa putting the piles of peer-assessment papers on top of his table. The other students were busy chatting to each other, waiting for Present Mic to come and start their English class.

_What do they gain from telling me this? _Naruto knew their presentation had been one of the better ones with them even getting some form of praise from Aizawa-sensei. Despite his lazy appearance, there was no denying that the man was hard to please.

"Thank you." Naruto finally said, flashing them a smile. She flickered her eyes to Todoroki, waiting for him to make some comment to their classmate. He didn't say anything, just nodding his head and she found her eyebrows twitching slightly. It always annoyed her whenever someone didn't try to answer.

Todoroki raised his eyebrow in confusion and Naruto made a speaking motion with her hands.

The boy blinked. "Thank you."

"I really liked the funny anecdote," Kaminari flashed a smile and Naruto knew from the clients that worked in the café that was his attempt of a flirty smile. _I can make a better one._ She sighed. "I really hate history but I didn't fall asleep for once in history class!"

Jirou nodded and Naruto felt her lips almost twitched into a smile at the comment. If she never had Todoroki constantly poking her in his house then Naruto would have fallen asleep in their research. It surprised her how he managed to focus on both their research and making sure she stayed on track with their project.

"You guys got the most boring topic," Jirou pointed out to them. "And yet you guys managed to keep everyone awake…but your explanation on the evidence were really weird."

Naruto shrugged her shoulder. She knew comparing the evidence to a café situation was not one that should have been done, but it made sense in her mind. Some people would say to explain it in a normal way but what was normal? If it works then it works.

"It explained the evidence well."

Naruto blinked and swirled her head at her classmate. Todoroki stared at the blackboard, before stealing a glance at her. Why would he say that? What did he gain from praising her explanation? She nibbled her bottom lip and felt her head throbbing. Was he saying this because she talked down on his father yesterday?

Because Naruto didn't want any gratitude from him.

"So who came up with the explanation?" Kaminari asked. He darted his eyes between them and Naruto wondered why he kept glancing at the two of them.

"Uzumaki." Todoroki answered immediately.

_Why would he tell them that it had been my explanation? Why didn't he try to steal the credit?_ Naruto felt her throat tightened and her brain scrambled to understand what he would gain from telling everyone that it had been her explanation. Nothing came to her mind, which frustrated her because there was always something that someone could gain.

She stared at her two classmates and waited for them to say something. Jirou would probably tell Todoroki not to lie because that was what most girls do whenever a good-looking boy spoke the truth. It wouldn't even surprise her if her classmate had a crush on the boy. Guys like Todorok was always well-liked by both genders.

"How did you come up with the explanation that makes it relate to a café?" Jirou asked.

Naruto just blinked and blinked as her brain processed what was happening right now. Surprise should have been their response, denial too but they seemed to be accepting to the answer that Todoroki gave. No one really seemed to have much faith in her abilities. Hinata had been different and Sasuke too.

But this was the first time that she didn't have to yell at someone and prove to them that she was just as smart as them.

"Dunno," Naruto finally answered. "It makes the most sense in my head."

Her classmates accepted her answer, smiling and praising her again for her explanation, but all Naruto could do was focus all of her attention on her mismatch classmate. He glanced at her, not saying a single word to her and all Naruto could think was…

_Why?_

Todoroki was supposed to be arrogant and act like a little bit of an asshole. He should not be the one telling people that the explanation had been hers. The boy should have been silent, refusing to interact with people and brooding like there was no tomorrow. Why did he do this? What on Earth changed for him to suddenly act like this?

When their classmates finally turned away from them, Naruto leaned towards Todoroki. The heat of his left side made her relax, almost reminding her of the warm summers that she longed again. _Why is he hot from this side?_ Naruto didn't really know much about his Quirk.

She didn't pay much attention to it, but Naruto knew he could make ice on one side of his body. Naruto didn't know what he could do with the other side but it must have to do something with heat, because his left side reminded her of a heater.

"Why did you tell them that?" Naruto asked.

Todoroki knitted his eyebrow. "Because it was the truth."

_Because it was the truth._

Naruto locked her eyes onto her classmate's eyes and searched for any signs that he might be toying with her. There was no arrogance in his eyes. No desire to taunt her with the knowledge that people trusted his words. The only emotion displayed in his mismatch eyes was just plain confusion and curiosity. Her throat burned but Naruto didn't want to overthink things.

Todoroki was just saying these things because she talked back to his father.

* * *

Shouto took a bite of his soba noodles and stared at Uzumaki. The blond-haired girl had been acting strange ever since he explained his reasoning of why he gave her the credit for the explanation. Didn't friends do these kind of things? To give them credit when they deserved it? Shouto really didn't know what to do with the whole friend thing.

He knew Uzumaki didn't consider him as a friend, but Shouto did want to get to know his classmate.

Shouto never really had a friend before, not when his father made it clear that he should focus more on his training. So it puzzled him of what to talk with Uzumaki. Personal topics were things Uzumaki liked to avoid, so he needed to bring up a topic that she felt comfortable with.

"Did you get home safely?"

Uzumaki blinked and raised her eyebrow at him. When Shouto repeated the question in his head, he realized just how stupid the question was. If Uzumaki never reached home safely then she wouldn't have been able to do the presentation. She would not even be sitting across him.

He waited for her to make her usual retort.

"_Yes, Todoroki."_ Uzumaki finally replied. The surprise and confusion in her eyes didn't fade, instead they were now mixture with mistrust. Had it been wrong of him to ask that question? The question sounded right in his head.

_What do I have to do to get her to trust me more?_ Shouto tilted his head and observed his friend, who decided to return back to her meal. The whisker-like marks on her cheeks had some soup dribbling down and to his surprise, the marks on her cheeks didn't twitch. So those whisker marks on her cheeks really were not actual whiskers? Were they birthmarks? Or were they scars?

"They are birthmarks," Uzumaki answered. Shouto blinked and his friend gave him a very tight smile. "You asked the question out loud."

_Oh._

Shouto observed his classmate, noticing the way her right hand itched to touch her cheek.

"They don't have anything to do with your Quirk?"

Uzumaki stiffened and scowled. "They are just there to show how different I am from the rest of the world."

A week ago his classmate would have avoided answering questions like this, so Shouto could accept the fact that his friend avoided answering anything to do with her Quirk. The fact her tone was laced with annoyance told him that Uzumaki never liked talking about her birthmarks. He could understand if her whisker marks was like his right side.

But Shouto think that her whisker marks suited her. Uzumaki looked nice and her whisker marks kind of adds to her beauty.

His classmate spat out her noodles, cheeks flushed red and jerked her head at him. Shouto knitted his eyebrows. Did she eat her ramen too fast? He noticed how his friend had a terrible habit of eating her ramen too quickly.

"Are you okay?" Shouto asked.

His friend nodded. "Yeah. I think my ears are playing tricks on me."

Shouto frowned and Uzumaki opened her mouth to say something, only to close it when four people took a seat on their table. Blinking, he swirled his head as two girls and two boys automatically took a seat right beside them. The girls taking their place on either side of Uzumaki and the two boys taking a seat beside him.

What was happening?

"Uzumaki, I didn't know that you were friends with Endeavour's kid!" Shouto felt his body stiffened at the mention of his father and his eyebrows twitched. Uzumaki flickered her eyes at him, lips pressed into a large smile before she lightly kicked him in the legs.

He blinked.

_Don't think of that bastard._ Shouto thought that those were the words that Uzumaki was silently telling him. He pressed his lips into a thin line, slowly nodded his head and observed the other teens by his side. The indigo-haired boy seemed to have his eyes fixated on his friend while his blond-haired friend kept glancing between them.

"Does Uzumaki talk to you?" Shouto blinked when the periwrinkle-haired girl turned her attention onto him. A bright, bubbly smile played on her lips while the orange-haired girl looked at him with curiosity. "Because Itsuka-chan and I have been trying really hard to get her to talk to us. Ooh, how did you get the burnt mark…"

Crazed grey eyes flashed before his eyes and Shouto felt his breath hitched.

_Crash._ Shouto blinked when the carton of milk that Uzumaki had been drinking, crashed to the ground.

"Sorry, I'm a bit clumsy today." Uzumaki lied with a smile playing on her lips. She flickered her eyes at him, blue eyes searching his own as if to confirm that he was okay. _Uzumaki did it on purpose._ Why did she do it? She didn't know the story behind his scar. No one knew the story behind it, except his family. The media had spurn a story about him losing control of his Quirk.

"It is okay, Uzumaki!" The orange-haired girl stood up from her seat and helped Uzumaki with cleaning up the spilled milk. Shouto did not miss the way that the periwrinkle-haired girl kept flickering her eyes from him to Uzumaki.

"So Uzumaki, what is your favourite class?" the orange-haired girl asked as they grabbed the tissues from the tray. Green eyes stared at his friend with so much curiosity and hope that Shouto wondered if there was a story behind that expression. He glanced at the other three teens, silently hoping that one of them would explain everything.

"Itsuka-chan has been really struggling to get Uzumaki-san to answer her questions." The periwrinkled-girl explained, puffing her cheeks. "I really wanna know why she avoids talking to the both of us, but has no problem with talking to Miro."

The four of them glanced down at Uzumaki and the orange-haired girl. His friend flickered her eyes at him, her lips wobbled and Shouto think that his classmate was debating about what to do. He waited for her to make her decision.

"Foundational Hero Studies," Uzumaki finally answered with a sigh.

The blond-haired boy perked up at Uzumaki's words and asked, "Is it because of All Might? It is great that we have the number one Hero teaching us."

Uzumaki didn't say anything, only shaking her head at the boy and eyes focused on the milk-spilled floor. _She doesn't actually care about heroes._ Shouto knew his classmate hadn't been awed when All Might appeared in their first lesson. Maybe the reason Uzumaki liked that particular class was because she could move around.

After a couple of days as Uzumaki's seat partner, Shouto noticed that Uzumaki had a habit of fidgeting in class. When they were preparing their project, his friend could not stop moving around. If she did sit still, the girl nearly fell asleep from just how boring their topic had been.

In the Foundational Hero Studies, Uzumaki could move around.

Uzumaki resumed back to her seat and Shouto didn't miss the way her blue eyes refused to look at the indigo-haired boy. Hurt bleed through her eyes whenever the blond-haired boy forced Uzumaki to acknowledge the boy right beside him.

He wonder if there was a story behind it.

* * *

**(In an undisclosed location)**

"I got some info on the girl."

Hari leaned against his foot and flickered his eyes to his subordinate. It had been just three day since he sent out all of the underling to find all information on the girl that took Eri away. The fact that it had been three days since he ordered them to find the girl or get any information on the girl. How hard could it be for them to get some information? Or bring her?

The more information they got, the more he could work with.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the subordinate informed him. He took out a different photo and Hari raised an eyebrow at the sight of the smile plastered on the girl's face. "A civilian living in Uzumaki's apartment block gave me a lot of information about the girl. He says the girl is an orphan who lives alone in an apartment. She likes to keep to herself but the guy says he hasn't seen Eri with her."

Any information was better than nothing.

"Did he give you her address?"

His subordinate fished out a piece of paper from his pockets and handed it to him. "He gave me the address but the girls works till night so we only have two options of when to attack her."

_If we wanted to get a lot of attention then I would suggest he attacks her when she was on her job._ Hari pressed his lips into a thin line and looked down at the address, before flickering his eyes to the particular subordinate right in front of him. The man right in front of him had a wonderful Quirk that could fulfil their needs.

"What do you plan to do?"

Hari raised his eyebrow. "You are going to break into Uzumaki's apartment and you are going to knock her out with your Quirk. You take her to the compound where Kai will question her about the whereabouts of Eri."

If Hari had some form of morals, he would probably feel some pity for Uzumaki. Kai was not going to go easy on her for her actions and frankly he hoped that the girl paid for her actions.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about the chapter. Is there anything that could be improved?**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows, as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_**(Three years ago)**_

_Is anyone going to help untie me?_

It was a question that haunted Naruto after Kakashi and her teammates left her tied up to the tree post. She doesn't know how long she has been tied up, but it must have been long enough for her nose to start to itch and for her to feel the rumbles of her stomach.

She was now beginning to regret the stupid prank that she pulled in her third year of the Academy. Mizuki had been so furious with her prank, sending her out of the class and telling her that she wasn't allowed to enter the classroom for the whole day. Maybe if she hadn't clowned around then she would not be in this stupid mess. She would have escaped and be back in that cold apartment of hers.

Naruto inhaled deeply and wiggled her body around, trying so hard to loosen the binds that enclosed her to the tree post. _This is a hell lot more harder than just having my hands tied up._ She could feel the ropes itching her, stopping her from breathing properly. The whole wiggling thing was just making the whole thing worse.

_Why did they forget about me? If this was a joke then it stopped being funny a couple of hours ago._

Kakashi-sensei preached to her about how she went after him by herself, never asking Sakura or Sasuke for help, but could he blame her? He was just showing her that none of them would try to save her. Teammates required trust. Naruto used to trust Sasuke but then he became a bastard. A bigger bastard and Naruto doesn't like bastard.

_You don't like how everyone fawns over him even more._ Naruto furiously shook her head at the voice that whispered those traitorous thoughts. Why would she dislike it? She just thinks it was just stupid that everyone likes him so much when he couldn't even give them a smile. It might even annoy her how much the teachers praised Sasuke, even though Naruto knows she could be just as good as him.

Blue eyes grew large when she saw the familiar duck-ass hairstyle of her former friend. His black eyes held almost little to no emotions, but Naruto knows the bastard like the back of her hand. He found it funny that she struggled to get herself out of this mess, while he had no problem of getting out of the ropes that she bound him with.

"_You can't get yourself out, can you idiot?"_ Naruto wanted to give him the middle finger at the smugness in his voice. But her body was tied up and she could barely her hands upwards. It was actually quite terrible when she couldn't do all the usual hand gestures to him.

So she settled with a scowl and yelled. _"I am not an idiot!"_

Naruto wonders why he keeps saying those words to her. He knows she wasn't an idiot like everyone thought she was. The pranks she made and the questions she did choose to answer correctly showcased it, but Sasuke was a bastard that doesn't want to admit that she was better than him. He didn't even think of the possibility that she could catch up to him.

"_There is a simple jutsu that allows you to escape, even a baby can do it."_ When Naruto looks back, she thinks that the bastard was so damn lucky that she was tied up because she would have murdered him for that remark. _Arrogant asshole._ It escaped her mind about how the two of them used to be so close, used to consider each other as their best friends.

Naruto didn't even know what they were now.

_She still doesn't even know when she turned fifteen._

"_I don't need your damn help, Bastard!"_ Naruto kicked the back of the tree post while Sasuke raised his eyebrow, not looking one bit impressed about her behavior. Good because she didn't want to impress him. People who wanted to impress the bastard were fangirls, and Naruto was anything but a fangirl.

She had her pride, god damn it.

"_How long have you been to stuck to that tree post?"_ Sasuke asked. His voice didn't carry any hints of arrogance but Naruto knew he was smug about it. The bastard had always taken pride whenever she needed his help. It had been his habit since they were kids. A habit that Naruto hated because she didn't need his help.

Naruto was capable of saving herself. If he wanted to act like a Prince then he should do it to Sakura-chan and the other fangirls. They would swoon and coo over his behavior.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, pulled out his kunai from his pockets and slashed the ropes. It tumbled down and Naruto crashes hard onto the cold, hard ground. _Prince? God, I wanna know what part of Sasuke is a prince._ Princes helped maidens from the ground and all that shit. Sasuke just seemed to have enjoyed watching her crash.

"_How could you not know how to get yourself out of the ropes?"_

Naruto bristled at his comment. Was he trying to mock her? Did he forget that Iruka-sensei always untied her ropes? Or was he acting too much like a self-brooding bastard to notice? She blew out a single strand of her blond hair before scowling at the boy that Naruto once considered to be her friend.

"_I know how to get myself out when it is just my hands!"_ She finally yelled. Sasuke raised his eyebrow as if waiting for her to say more. Naruto knows what her teammate was searching for, but she wasn't going to say those words that he longed to hear. But…she could say this. "_Can you teach me the damn jutsu, bastard?"_

"_Which one?"_

When Naruto looks back at this day, she remembers the teasing glint in his eyes but right now…all Naruto wanted to do was throttle the bastard for putting her in this position.

"_You know which one you little piece of…"_

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "_It is close enough, idiot."_

When Naruto looks back at this day, she remembers that this had been the day when their friendship had been on the road of being repaired from the shattered remains of the massacre. While everyone else had abandoned her, left her in the blazing sun and seemed to have forgotten her…Sasuke remembered her.

When she thinks of that reason, she thinks that was why it hurt her so much when Sasuke left her and Team Seven.

* * *

The sight of a crooked home mat was one that put Naruto Uzumaki on guard. She was not obsessive in her cleaning like some of the shinobi that she knew. Her memory was good but it was not photographic like Sakura's memory. However Naruto knew how she liked to arrange things. She knows her matt would not be slanted completely to the left.

She could only come to one conclusion:

Someone broke into her apartment.

Naruto took in a deep breath, unslung her school bag and pulled out a kunai. Was she going to the extreme with her paranoria by taking a kunai with her to school? Most probably, but there was always a possibility that people would be after her. Better be prepared than to be taken by surprise.

_Although it surprises me that someone is willing to go to my apartment._ She shook her head and pushed the door slightly. The smell of something terrible waffled through her nostrils, consuming her to the point that Naruto almost felt ready to choke. She was no chemist but the scent coming out of her apartment was one that she made sure never to have.

She entered the apartment and willed herself not to be consumed by the scent. The world around her seemed just to be a little bit blur but Naruto pushed through. She needed to push through, because Naruto was _not_ going to be defeated by some damn gas.

A shadow appeared to her left and a large fist hurled towards her. Naruto grabbed hold of the fist, twisted the arm and swung the person in the first direction that she turned. Maybe if the scent didn't seem like it was going to kill her, or maybe if she was more aware then this would never happen.

She didn't mean to send the man at the direction of the only shelf that had photos of her past.

The man smashed against the shelf, breaking it in half and her two picture frames hit the ground. The glasses cracked and thankfully her photos weren't completely damaged but…_ her only photo with the Hokage was destroyed._ She clenched and unclenched her fist. Her teeth grinded against each other as a swirl of emotions enveloped her.

Naruto didn't care so much about the photo of Team Seven, not when every single one of them was alive.

But the Third Hokage was a whole different story for her.

"_Come on now Naru-chan, smile for the camera."_

Naruto grabbed hold of the man. The one photo she cherished, the one photo that Naruto had of the old man that rescued her, had been destroyed and she could _never forgive this man. _She slammed him against the floor, ignoring his whimpers and cries for mercy. Mercy were for people that didn't break into her apartment. Mercy were for people that were innocent.

_He tried to knock me out like I was some kind of animal._

She held him up in the air and growled. "Who the hell sent you, you little weasel?"

Her attacker gulped as his eyes avoided hers. There was a tremble in his legs and Naruto thinks she didn't scare him hard enough. _Because…how dare he make her destroy her precious photo._ Was she taking things to the overboard by doing this? Most probably but Naruto had so little photos of the Third Hokage. The ones she did have, were the ones she cherished with all of her heart because…

"_You are a child of Konoha."_

He had been the first person to see her as human and Naruto loved him so much because of it.

"I-I won't tell you anything!" The man stuttered out.

Naruto balled her hands into a tight ball of fist. _Won't tell me anything? I am going to force it out of you._ She had the whole night to force him out because the way he attacked her, told her that this was not some random attack. Random attacks would not have him trying to knock her out with his Quirk. If it had been a burglary then he would have dropped any valuables she had.

Naruto didn't have anything valuable to a thief…not unless her photos were considered valuable.

She pressed the kunai against his cheek and the man began to quiver even more. _Keep your emotions in check._ Naruto thinks this would be the best course of action. Emotions would make the bastard think she was nervous. It would allow him to think she was terrified of what she was willing to do to get information. Naruto wasn't terrified.

She was a kunoichi and kunoichi would do anything to get information.

"_But you never liked what being a kunoichi meant__**.**_" A voice whispered in her head as Naruto dug the kunai a little bit deeper against the man's skin. Being a kunoichi had meant the world to her. Her parents had been shinobi, powerful and strong or so the Hokage claimed, and being a kunoichi was her connection to them. The voice inside of her head was just stupid.

It had always been stupid.

"I won't tell you anything!"

Naruto smiled tightly but didn't remove the kunai. The dark part of her wanted to murder this man for breaking into her apartment and forcing her to break the two things precious to her. _I will just have to find a way to get him to talk._ She observed the man, taking in just how young he looked and the tattoos peaking out of his sleeves.

_Yakuza tattoos._

The only experience she ever had with the Yakuza had been in the Land Of Waves when Gatou hired a couple of goons to terrorize the small island. She didn't know much about the Yakuza. She avoided them in Konoha and made a point to avoid them here. They brought trouble, did terrible things to young girls and Naruto had been lucky that none of them considered going near her.

She looked at the phoenix tattoo and an idea popped into her head. Naruto knew from those western books that she liked to read that phoenix symbolized rebirth. It was not a tattoo someone could make lightly, not unless they have a story to tell.

"You must have had a difficult life," Naruto said softly. The man stiffened and flickered his eyes at her while the blond-haired girl hummed. "No one ever chooses the Yakuza life but something must have forced you. I mean you are so _young_ and _handsome…_ it is just a pity that you chose to be in the Yakuza."

Naruto allowed her voice to lower and she fluttered her eyelashes, before brushing her breath against his ears. He stiffened, staring at her with disbelief but the blonde forced herself to make her cheeks red. _Her whisker marks adds to her beauty._ Todoroki's words echoed in her ears, telling her that she could be seen as attractive to people.

It reminded her that she did have a charm.

"I didn't choose to be a part of the Yakuza," the man whimpered. Naruto hummed and slowly gently eased the use of her kunai against his throat. She allowed her hand to wander to his chest, playing with it slightly and the man stared at her with such wide eyes. Desire shone through those eyes but it only made Naruto disgusted.

"Really? But you wear those tattoos with pride," Naruto smiled and touched the tattoos. The dizziness inside of her head was slowly fading away, telling her that the Kyuubi had increased the rate in which the gas was being excreted outside of her body.

"I was discarded by my girlfriend." Naruto frowned and the man took a deep, shaky breaths. _Don't get moved by his story. _It was painful to be discarded but not painful enough that she would do something as reckless as joining the Yakuza. "I just kept wandering around until I met Overhaul. He offered me a chance to prove my worth."

"It must have been so rough on you. Your girlfriend didn't respect you and you have no place to go…that is rough buddy," Naruto kept her voice light and forced herself to cry those crocodile tears that Iruka-sensei could never say no to. Her heart did break for the man but not enough to cry. "Overhaul must have been your savior."

The man nodded. "I would do anything for him."

_I am getting somewhere._

"Even attack an innocent girl like me?" She pushed her lip forward and looked at him with hurt eyes. He flinched and reluctantly nodded, looking almost apologetic at the fact that he hurt an innocent girl like her. _Either I am better at this interrogation thing than I thought or he is a dummy. _ She was more inclined to believe the former than the latter.

"You made him really, really angry," the man informed her. Naruto blinked and the man seemed to hesistate, only to be complied to move on when she stroke his chest again and looked at him like he meant the world to her. _Always stroke a man's ego._ That had been the advice of their kunoichi teacher, one that Naruto took to heart whenever she wanted to get out of trouble. "You took away his prized tool."

"And what might be his prized tool?" Naruto leaned closer to him and smiled sweetly when the man flickered his eyes at her. _This Overhaul guy is an idiot if he thinks that I am not capable of finding out information._ She wiggled against him. "Please tell me, mister."

She pretended to be hurt by his lack of answer.

"Eri. You took Eri away from him!"

Naruto beamed at the knowledge and stared at the blushing man right in front of her. _So the bastard that hurt Eri-chan wants to hurt me. He wants to find Eri-chan._ She should go to the police and tell them everything she knew. But it would bring too many questions and the police weren't exactly known for getting the job done properly.

She could go to the Heroes but they wouldn't find a child abuse matter to be of great importance, not when Eri was safe from them. But Naruto couldn't take the chance that the bastard would haunt Eri just like how the matron haunted her in her dreams.

She would make them pay.

"If Overhaul wants me so badly then he will get to meet me."

Naruto would show Overhaul what she did to people that hurt her precious people because Eri was her most precious person.

* * *

**(Next day)**

Izuku frowned as his fellow classmates waited anxiously for Midnight to come and start their first class of the day. Everything looked normal from an outsider's perspective since almost everyone was here, but there was only one person missing. Uzumaki hadn't arrived to class, which was strange since his classmate was never late for school.

There was not even a clone and that really worried Izuku. He might not know Uzumaki as well as he would like but it was well-known in their middle school that Uzumaki _never_ had a sick day. She was always healthy even when the flu season come and infects everyone in their school.

"Isn't it weird that Uzumaki hasn't come?" Ashido asked, swirling her head around the classroom to find the only blond female in the class.

Uraraka frowned and tilted her head to the side. "Do you think she might have skipped school?"

"Maybe she is sick?" Tsuyu suggested.

Whispers broke out as everyone tried to figure out where their classmate was. Everyone looked at each other with concern, wondering if maybe their classmate was doing all right. It might have been a week since school started, but there was no denying that everyone in their class cared about each other in their own way. His classmates always seemed interested in knowing how everyone was doing, even if certain people weren't friendly.

"Midoriya, Bakugou, do the two of you have Uzumaki's number?" Momo asked. "Maybe you should contact her and see if she is alright."

"I don't have Whisker's number."

"Me neither."

Everyone blinked and stared at the two of them in surprise, like they really expected them to have the blond-haired girl's number. Izuku tried for so long to get Uzumaki's number but every time she would give some excuse or time seemed to have run out, leaving him with no chance to talk to her. Uzumaki really did not give her number to anyone.

It had been fine until now.

"How do we know if she is fine?" Hagakure fretted.

Yaoyorozu turned to Todoroki and asked. "Todoroki-san, do _you_ have her number?"

Izuku swirled his body around and observed his other mysterious classmate. There were not many people Uzumaki was willing to talk to or have lunch with, but Todoroki seemed like a constant presence by his classmate's side. They worked well together and Izuku had seen the way Uzumaki interacted with him. It was a lot more friendly then how she treated other people.

Todoroki shook his head. He flickered his eyes to the empty seat and knitted his eyebrows slightly together. The only emotion swirling around his usual stoic eyes was concerned. Izuku didn't know Todoroki very well but he knows his classmate has to be really worried to show this much emotion to the world.

"Maybe we should check up on Uzumaki after school," Uraraka suggested. "You do know her address, don't you Deku-kun?"

Izuku nodded. He lived quite near to Uzumaki's apartment and he passed her apartment block whenever he did his jogs. Sometimes he slowed down, hoping to talk to her in the hopes of asking her to help him with his Quirk. Uzumaki's Quirk seemed to mimic One For All and maybe she could give him an idea on how to not damage his body.

Of course he was always too nervous to spit those words out.

"Midoirya." Izuku blinked when he saw Todoroki standing right in front of his seat. The younger male seemed to have a calm expression with his eyes not betraying any emotions, but Izuku could sense something was up. He could see the twitch in Todoroki's fingers as if something was irritating him. "Can I please have her address?"

"What? Now? Why?" He shoots the questions and squeaked when those cold eyes stared at him. _S-Scary. _Izuku brought out one of his spare notebooks, tore off a page and quickly scribbled down the address while only one person seemed to stare at them with a thoughtful look.

Todoroki grabbed the paper and shoved it down his pockets.

"T-Todoroki-san, why do you want the address now?" He hoped that the fear doesn't leak out but Todoroki really made him feel nervous. Actually all of his classmates made him feel nervous because all of them had such wonderful Quirks.

"Because Uzumaki might be in trouble."

* * *

Shouto looked down at the address given to him by Midoriya and then looked at the apartment number right in front of him. It felt almost weird for him to stand in front of his friend's apartment when he should be back in school, preparing himself for their science class. But the fact that Uzumaki wasn't in class had worried him.

He might not be very close to Uzumaki and she might not trust him, but Shouto knows Uzumaki well enough to know she would drag herself to class even if she was sick.

"The one time you decided to skip class, you decided to come here." Shouto blinked and clicked his heels together before swirling his body around. Standing behind him was both Bakugou and Midoriya, who seemed just to be a little bit anxious standing here.

Shouto tilted his head and regarded them. "What are you doing here?"

"You made me really want to check up on Uzumaki," Midoriya admitted.

"I am not here because I'm fucking concern for Whiskers," Bakugou declared hotly. "A friend invited me out and I decided to take them up on their offer."

Shouto raised his eyebrow at his fellow blonde while Midoriya just blinked at the obvious lie made by their fellow classmate. The boy scowled, daring him to make a comment that contradicted his statement. Shouto did not have the time nor the desire to pick a fight with the boy. All he wanted to do was make sure that Uzumaki wasn't doing something dangerous.

Something told him that his friend might have decided to do something dangerous.

"What! I should be asking why the hell you decided to skip class and come here?" Bakugou snarled. Shouto tilted his head and regarded the blond-haired boy in front of him. The way he lashed out really did remind him of Uzumaki. They even looked a little bit similar too and if he didn't know Uzumaki had no family, he would presume they were related.

"She doesn't have anybody."

He kept the answer simple and to the point because Shouto doesn't understand what the big deal was. Friends checked up on each other, didn't they? And Uzumaki seemed to have missed school for some reason and that really troubled him. His friend would have sent a clone if something was happening, but there had been nothing.

"And you want to be somebody to her?" Bakugou asked.

Shouto contemplated for a moment and nodded. "I want to help her if she has a problem."

Bakugou snorted and stared at him for a good moment. His red eyes seemed to be searching for something but Shouto didn't understand why his classmate would do it. As far as he was concerned, Uzumaki and Bakugou did not have the best relationships. They fought half of the time and his male classmate seemed to enjoy provoking her.

"Knock the damn door. She would probably answer the door if it is you." Bakugou barked.

Shouto frowned at the tone and stiffly nodded, before knocking the door. They waited for a couple of minutes, hoping and praying for some kind of sound but nothing seemed to happen. Midoriya flickered his eyes at him, silently pointing to his ear and then to the door as if telling him to hear for any sounds.

Shouto complied with the request.

Midoriya knocked the door, the loud bangs echoing throughout the corridor of apartments. Shouto pressed his ear harder, waiting and praying for any signs of life in that apartment. Nothing. _I am really getting worried now._ He pushed himself off the door, glancing at his two fellow classmates and then shaking his head at them.

Bakugou growled and pulled out a hairpin from his pocket. He scowled when the two sets of eyebrows raised at the strategy that the boy planned to use.

"What? It worked in the fucking movies and I am sure it can work in real life!" Bakugou snapped as he jammed the hairpin against the lock of the door. He twisted and turned until there was a clear _click_ sound. The boy smirked at them before pushing the door open for them.

Todoroki strolled into the apartment, only to find himself halting at the sight of the living room. _This is not some kind of mess that a sloth would have._ The shelf seemed to be cracked in half and there seemed to be two broken picture frames. The couch seemed to be in a good condition but everything else made it seem like there had been a tornado inside of the apartment.

This was definitely not the mess created by someone his age.

"I-It looks like Uzumaki got attacked," Midoriya suggested. He flickered his eyes through the messy living room, lips chewed as his brain tried to process what he was seeing right in front of him. Bakugou kept quiet, not making any snarky remarks, instead he seemed intent of looking through the apartment.

Shouto sighed and began picking up the evidence of the crime scene. The first thing he grabbed was the broken photo frame since it seemed to be the closest thing to him. It might not seem like evidence but a person needed to consider every possibility.

He flipped the photo and blinked at the sight of a twelve-year-old Naruto scowling for the camera. _She looks different._ The scowl might be prominent but her eyes held a lot more emotions. Just a little bit of joy and maybe even hope. The black-haired boy, standing to Uzumaki's right, seemed to be scowling like there was no tomorrow but his eye seemed to linger on Uzumaki.

The one thing that stood out to Shouto was how much their senior looked a lot like the boy from the photo. _Did something happen between them? Is that why Uzumaki doesn't look at our senior?_ He filed the question for later, for when Uzumaki seemed to trust him just a little bit more.

"Should we just call the police? Or just tell the heroes about this?" Midoriya asked, snapping him out of his train of thought. The green-haired boy looked almost queasy at the sight before them. "We can't find any evidence of where Uzumaki might be…maybe we should leave this to the professionals."

Shouto contemplated over his classmate's suggestion and stared at the scene before them. If Uzumaki was kidnapped then wouldn't she leave a trail for them? And if she was kidnap then why? Something just was not adding up. The smart protocol would be to call the police but something was not adding up.

Uzumaki was strong, insanely strong, and was more than capable of getting herself out of this mess. He knows she was strong. He knows and respects her for her ability to speak out when something was not right. It was why he knows if someone kidnapped her then Uzumaki would have given them hints. Right now, there seemed to be no other hint then her getting into a fight.

"We should wait here till sunset," Todoroki suggested. "We wait till the end of the day. If Uzumaki still doesn't appear then we tell the other heroes and the police."

As much as he wanted to help Uzumaki, they had no evidence to go with and so Shouto just had to pray that his classmate knew what she was doing…because he really had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of the changes so far made in this story? And of the characters? What do you think of the flashback? Do you think I should cut back on the flashbacks?**


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

_Weirdos._

That was the only thought running through Naruto's head as her blue eyes took in the sight of the many men surrounding her. All of the men wore a strange mask that reminded her of a bird, except not like one of those cute birds that she spots in her balcony. No, it was more like those creepy birds that always made her skin crawl and makes her freeze.

"So this is her?" All of the men in front of Naruto looked kind of the same but the one speaking had white gloves on. The way he looked at her made the end of her hairs stand up as those cold, _emotionless_ eyes looked at her. _It is like he thinks I am dirt._ She could tell from the way he eyed her dirtied outfit.

"Uzumaki Naruto." The Yakuza man declared. He shifted left and right as his eyes avoided the searching eyes of the other members of the Yakuza. She rubbed her hands together, yanking and turning as several of the men laughed at her. _You won't be laughing when you realize what I can do._ She growled, flashing her canine teeth at them while her inner self giggled with glee at their lack of awareness.

"You are a fool if you think you can escape out of those ropes or get out of here alive." One of the Yakuza man declared. _You are the idiot._ Naruto just glared at them. "Don't you dare give us that damn look, you bitch."

_You are going to be the first one to go._ Naruto grinded her teeth together as her bright blue eyes darkened at the insult given to her. She balled her hands and felt her temper bubbled when the man glared at her. _I am the only one allowed to call myself that…even then it is the Head Bitch in Charge._ She itched to pummel the man to the ground but Eri was her priority.

Information was her desire and acting like a stupid damsel in distress was needed for the damn job.

"Where is she?" The man, standing right in front of her, demanded. _He looks almost too calm for someone that wants to hurt me. _Naruto stopped wiggling and just eyed the calm man. His posture was relaxed like he expected her to tell him the truth but she would rather slit her throat then tell him anything.

"Go screw yourself." Naruto said cheerfully. She placed her hands together into the hand seal, channelling her chakra to her fingers and wrist. The ropes slowly slid off and silently hit the ground. Now all she needed was to wait for the perfect opportunity to attack them.

"Just answer the damn question, you bitch! You are already in fucking trouble for taking what belongs to the boss!"

She grinded her teeth together and just glared at them. _I would rather die then tell you guys where she is._ Naruto opened her mouth to tell them this. Death should never be taken lightly but Eri was so young. She had her whole life ahead of herself. That little girl could live her life to the fullest, find friends that actually gave a shit about her feelings, and just be happy.

"She is with Aizawa-sensei."

_What the hell just happened? Where is my damn speech?_ Naruto gritted her teeth and blinked her eyes at the smirking men in front of her. The desire to take back those words were great but everytime she opened her mouth to take it back, something stopped her. It was like she drank some truth serum and had no choice but to speak nothing but the truth.

God it made her want to vomit.

"What the fuck have you done to me?" She snarled. _This is considered a stupid plan, isn't it?_ Naruto thought she had everything planned. She pretend to be a hostage, tries to get some information, attack these people and get out. Now apparently, it seemed like one of those bastard had a way to make her talk. They had a way to force words out of her mouth.

"My Quirk allows me to force anyone I ask a question to, to answer truthfully." Smugness and pride leaked out of his tone as Naruto felt a sense of horror washed over her. _This is an interrogation that I have no possible way for me to keep my damn mouth shut._ The desire to panic was great but teary red eyes flashed before her and Naruto furiously shook her head.

_Do you promise not to leave me._

There was no way Naruto could keep her promise to Eri-chan as long as those bastards are alive.

"And where does Aizawa-sensei live?"

_Must fight it._ Naruto grinded her teeth together and then bite her tongue to the point that it bled. The metallic taste of her own blood almost eased her, almost made her think that it might be possible not to answer the question but…_tell him the truth._ There was just another voice begging her, telling her just to comply with his request.

She felt the longing to tell him and…

_I can't tell him the truth!_ Naruto wanted to bang her head against the floor while the Yakuza looked at her with eyes filled with some sympathy. _It is futile to keep fighting against him._ That was what their eyes were telling her but she wouldn't give up.

She would never spill…

"I never actually memorized the address of Aizawa-sensei."

Naruto blinked as she realized the words spilled out of her tongue. She never realized that she does not remember the actual address of his apartment. She only memorized the route, but the blond-haired girl never noticed it. She just followed the directions and it never occurred to her if she memorized it or not.

Everyone just looked at her like she was an idiot and Naruto took this as her chance to jump from her chair. She kicked the chair in the direction of the bastard that forced her to talk. Everyone blinked and blinked as their brains tried to process at the fact she had untied herself from the very tight ropes that they chained her with.

Naruto smiled brightly.

"For your information, I am an expert of getting myself out of ropes." Naruto boasted. She shifted her body around till she found the fighting position that she felt most comfortable in. The girl took a deep breath and made a hither motion. _"I am going to kick your asses to the next century."_

She would show them what she can do.

* * *

_Uzumaki has been absent for almost the whole day._

Aizawa flipped through the attendance list that the other teachers had given him for his class attendance. It hadn't worried him too much when he did not see Uzumaki in class. The girl could be late for some reason like she was on Friday, but she would have appeared by the first period. If Uzumaki was going to skip then she would have sent a clone.

He took a deep breath and looked at his class schedule. Maybe it would be a good idea for him to double check Uzumaki was not in her final class. It would be too much of a stretch to think she was in class but Aizawa could only hope his student decided to come to class. He did not want to even think what the girl might be doing this time.

Aizawa took a deep breath, looked down at the next attendance and blinked when he caught sight of the crosses of three other students: Bakugou, Todoroki and Midoriya. It cannot be coincidence that those three students were absent, not when he knew all three of them had been well in the morning classes. The only question was…

_Where would those three go?_

He shook his head and focused on his number one priority. Uzumaki would need to have a talk again and since her guardian was irresponsible, Aizawa would be the one to talk to her. He pressed his lips into a thin line. _Would it be possible Uzumaki was sick?_ He nibbled his pen, feeling his head throbbing at the thought.

With no relatives, no guardian by her side and clones that might not be feeling well then it would be up to Aizawa to bring the girl some medicine. Aizawa let out a sigh and longed for his comfy bed.

Hizashi looked up from his pile of papers and raised his eyebrow at him. "Something is bothering you."

"Uzumaki wasn't in any of her classes today." Aizawa pointed out. His friend hummed at this knowledge, just removing one head phone from his ear and dropped his sunglasses. A teasing smile played on his lips along with the knowing twinkle in his eyes. He raised his eyebrow. "What?"

Hizashi laughed. "For someone who claims to not want to get too close to his students, you really seem to go out of your way for that kid."

Aizawa kept quiet and looked out at the window. His eyes lingered on the clouds floating through the skies as voices of the past echoed in his ears. He didn't even notice the thoughtful, concerned look being thrown towards him by his friend.

Finally, Aizawa explained. "It is our responsibility to take care of our students and help them."

"Responsibility? Or do you think that Uzumaki reminds you of Shirakumo?" Aizawa stiffened and Hizashi nodded, looking almost pleased that he nailed what he thought was the coffin. He continued on. "I saw that kid smile last week and god it almost reminded me of him."

'_Oh yeah Shota, this is your umbrella right?'_

Aizawa shook his head, pushed himself off of his chair and decided to make a check of his student's final lesson. Present Mic shouted his apologizes through the door but he ignored it. The past happened and while Aizawa carried regrets for what happened to his friend, he would make sure none of his students get hurt or die under his watch.

He walked through the corridors leading to his classroom. It was almost strange how the corridors that Aizawa now walked on, had not changed one bit since his time in high school. Aizawa stopped right in front of the classroom and peaked through the window of the door. Black eyes scanned through the smiling faces of his students, only stopping at Uzumaki's empty seat.

_She reminds you of Shirakumo._

Aizawa pressed his lips into a thin line as Hizashi's words echoed in his ear. Those blue eyes of his student did not hold the same spark his friend had, but the smile that clone gave to the other students…it did bring a sense of nostalgia. But the way her clones interacted with each other, reminded him of his friend.

But Aizawa does not allow his past to dictate _all_ of his actions.

"Uzumaki is nothing like Shirakumo." Aizawa turned his head away from the window. "Shirakumo was just a naïve kid that didn't know any better and Uzumaki…she is just a kid that has been through some bad times."

He probably should have said those words to Hizashi in the staff room but something stopped him. Not something, the smiling face of his friend as the rain faded and the sun shone exactly on him. _Shirakumo would have known what to do with a kid like Uzumaki._ With his constant, _stupid_ smiles, his friend had been able to make anyone like him.

_Bur the life of a hero is not meant for someone that goofs off and doesn't take it seriously._

Aizawa let out a small sigh and thinks that when he goes to check up on Uzumaki then he should bring Eri-chan with him. If anyone could make that mistrustful girl smile even just slightly then it would be his new ward. If the girl was sick then she probably needed all the happiness that she could get.

For his student, Aizawa would try his hardest to be there for her whenever Uzumaki needed him. Not just because she was his student or because of her possible past, but because…_that was what Shirakumo would have done if he was in his position._

* * *

_I really should have thought things through._ This was Naruto's conclusion as she dodged the punches of one the Yakuza men. It had barely been ten minutes since the fight had started when the Boss decided to crumble the whole floor with his bare hands. Now she was no genius when it came to being a shinobi and was quite _weak_ when compared to a whole lot of shinobi. She _only has two powerful jutsu in her arsenal._

The walls around her began to change shape, causing her to bounce around as another Yakuza member launched himself at her. _I need to be careful about these people._ Naruto knew from watching her clone attack one of the Yakuza that there was one capable of draining her clones of their energy. That was not the bad part, the bad part was that he used the energy as his own.

_If I can't knock him out without touching him or get one good punch then my clones are a no-go._ Naruto knew she should have taken the time to observe. She should have asked questions about their capabilities when Naruto had the chance…but she _never thinks things through._ Now she had one opponent that forced her to be cautious and another opponent that could transfer his whole body and mind to the objects around her.

_Need to think of a plan._ Naruto nibbled on the bottom of her lips and stuck her leg out, causing the goon to fall down and his head smashed on the shaking floor. Bullets were shot in her direction, whizzing towards her and Naruto twisted and turn. Another bullet was shot at her direction.

_Think, Naruto! You are a kunoichi!_ A lightbulb lit up above Naruto's head as an idea popped into her mind on how to kill two birds with one stone. She weaved her hands through a couple of hand signs, blue eyes darting for any of her opponents close to her.

_Bingo._

"I got her!" The goon yelled as the bullet hit Naruto …or so they thought. The room become silent as a cloud of smoke wrapped the area, clouding their senses. Slowly the smoke disappeared to reveal their comrade, who fell down to the ground as blood soaked his shirt in the position of where his heart was supposed to be. All of them just blinked.

"What the hell just happened? And where is she?"

_Thank you Zabuza for that unintentional lesson of the fastest way to kill someone and Kakashi-sensei for giving me this idea._ Naruto looked below as her opponents scrambled to find her. She fingered the prepared smoke bomb in her pocket, nibbled her lips as her brain tried to come up with a solution of what to do.

Just like that day with Eri, Naruto had indirectly killed someone but the blond-haired girl wondered if it would be a good idea to actually kill them with her bare hands. _Can I actually kill someone with my bare hands?_ Indirectly causing a murder was one thing because it was not like she actually meant for those murders to happen. She just acted like a bystander, so it was not the same thing.

But actually murdering them by her own hands…it almost makes Naruto feel sick to her stomach. _I would have to kill eventually._ It should have been a reassuring thought since shinobi kill people. This was their job description but…

_She couldn't even kill Haku even though he begged her to do it._

Naruto furiously shook her head. _Eri-chan can never live her life to the fullest if these people lived._ It was this thought that allowed her to blank her mind, hardened her heart and throw the smoke bomb to the ground. Eri-chan needed to live a happy life, a safe life where she could smile from the bottom of her heart. _What was the point of being a kid if you can't smile?_

She sucked in a deep breath and dive through the smoke. Naruto pulled out a kunai from her pocket and began slashing through her confused opponents. _What did Zabuza say again? The throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, kidney and the heart. Those were the points to kill._ She did not know much about the position of all those locations but Naruto thinks the throat was the best place to slice.

It was her target as Naruto stroked her confused opponents through their throat, blood soaking the ground. Once this battle was over, she probably would need to think of a way to frame them because…_they would call her a __**murderer**__._

But Naruto was not a murderer, she was a kunoichi of Konoha. She reminded herself again and again as bile rose up to her throat at the sight of the bodies that were now piling up. The smoke slowly cleared away, revealing that she was one of ten people left standing in the room.

"For someone studying to become a hero, you have no problem with murdering people." The boss commented and Naruto stiffened. Blue eyes blinked as Overhaul stared at her with a lack of emotions. "Heroes don't _kill_ people…are you even a hero?"

_You are a monster._

The matron's voice echoed in her ear.

_The spawn of that devil._

She sucked in a deep breath as a realization dawned upon her.

"You are right," Naruto agreed with a smile decorating her face. It was not the fake smiles she liked to give to people and it was not a real smile. She doubt she could give her real smiles ever again. No, the smile on her face was the small one. The one she always used in a battle when she took things seriously. She pulled out her headband from her pocket, the one that Naruto could never throw away because…

_It was her original dream._

"You are right Heroes don't kill people, but you hurt Eri-chan," Naruto tied her headband against her forehead and narrowed her eyes at him. Pure anger flooded through her eyes. _For Eri-chan, I must act like a monster._ She could feel the trembles in her body slowly stopping as she come to a decision. "I can't ever forgive someone hurting my precious person. For her, I will act like a fucking monster because bastards like you _don't deserve to live."_

Overhaul did not get angry at her words instead he slammed his hands onto the ground. The floor crumbled and Naruto jumped up. She channelled chakra to her hands, placing it on the the ceiling above her. His fellow comrade fell down, crying out in pain while the man just stared blankly at her.

_I think I might actually have a problem if his Quirk is like that._

Naruto did not have any jutsu in her arsenal that allowed her to use a long-distance attack. Everything in her arsenal meant all her attacks were short-distance. She could not fight him up close, not without getting hurt. There was no Sasuke to help her with her weak spot or Kakashi-sensei to help her sorry ass.

_I just need to use my head to figure out how to defeat this bastard…and I should have attacked him first in that smoke attack._

She needed to come up with a plan soon.

* * *

Bakugou could only scowl as the clock kept ticking, reminding him that it had been _three_ _hours since he came here_ and still no sign of that annoying classmate. He flickered his eyes to Deku, who seemed intent of having another panic attack, and then to the half-and-half bastard. That bastard held no expression, only staring at the door.

Deku came here, because Whiskers kept saving his sorry behind from whenever Bakugou kept reminding the nerd that it was impossible for him to become a Hero. The nerd probably thought this could be his way of repaying Whiskers for her actions. Half-and-half bastard decided to come because he and Whiskers seemed to be friends.

Whiskers was the only one that seemed to get Half-and-Half bastard to pay attention to her, because Bakugou had seen how intense the bastard can be in anything that was their hero class.

Bakugou did not come to Whisker's apartment because he was worried for her. Worrying about her implies he gave a shit about her and he does not _care one bit_ about the girl. She acted so high and mighty about his behaviour like she had the damn right to scold him. Not even his own mother would scold him in the way that Whiskers did.

He furiously shook his head and picked up one of the fallen photos from the shelf. Bakugou pressed his lips into a scowl as an uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach at the sight before him. _Whiskers really does look a little bit like the old hag. _All of those side characters mentioned it to him whenever one of them caught sight of him with his mother.

The only difference between them was the fact Uzumaki had straight hair and her blond hair looked more like the sun then the ash blond hair that his mother and him had. The eye shape too was different and…

_I am overthinking things._ Bakugou scowled and put the photo back on the shelf. He noticed the furrowed eyebrow being thrown at him from the Half-and-Half bastard, who had his eyes fixated on the photo that Bakugou just placed back.

The doorbell rang and all three boys just stared at each other.

"What do we do?" Deku cried.

Bakugou felt his eyebrows twitched and hissed. "What do we do, nerd? We don't answer the fucking door of course!"

Todoroki did not give his opinion, just silently regarding the two of them. Bakugou felt his lips twitched into a scowl while Deku chanted to himself not to open the door. It could be their classmates but there was also a damn chance it could be one of her neighbours. If her neighbours found out that they broke in then they might be sent to the police.

Bakugou did not want anything on his record.

All three of them waited for the person to leave them alone. If they keep quiet then hopefully the person would just leave and come back at a different time. By that time, Whiskers would be back or the police and heroes would be here to figure out where Uzumaki might be.

They blinked when the door was unlocked and the three boys glanced at each other. Bakugou narrowed his eyes at Deku. _Did the nerd forget to lock the door?_ Deku furiously shook his head and glanced at Todoroki. The boy raised his eyebrow, silently shaking his head at them. If neither of them did it then how was the door opening?

The door swung open and all three boys blinked at the sight of Aizawa standing in front of the door with a bag filled with medicine in one hand, and his hand wrapped around another small hand belonging to a little girl. The little girl just blinked and squeaked, before hiding behind their teacher's back. Her red eyes stared at them with mistrust.

"The three of you have been here the whole time?" Their teacher kept his voice calm but rage shone through his eyes at the sight of the three students, who skipped most of their afternoon class to check up on Whiskers. He flickered his eyes at the scene. "What happened here? Where is Uzumaki?"

Todoroki stepped forward and answered. "We don't know."

"Why haven't you informed anyone about this?" Aizawa asked. He dropped the bag of medicine on the ground and raised his eyebrow at them. The three boys shrugged, shuffling and shifting in their spot as the man pressed his lips into a tight line. Red eyes darted around to take in the chaotic scenery, lingering on the mess around them.

His face darkened.

"Where is Naruto-neechan?" The little girl asked quietly.

Aizawa jerked his head at the little girl. He took a deep breath and knelt down, black eyes softening and Bakugou felt a little bit uncomfortable of seeing their usual strict teacher acting soft to another person. He glanced at the other boys, who seemed to feel just as uncomfortable as he did.

"She went on a little trip," their sensei lied. His black eyes did not reveal his emotions but his shoulder was trembling slightly. The man flickered his eyes at them. "Eri-chan, I want you to stay with these boys while I try to help Uzumaki with her trip."

The little girl blinked as their teacher grabbed hold of one of Uzumaki's belonging from the ground. Aizawa turned to them while Eri flickered her eyes at the three of them. He gave all three of them a look of irritation, lips pressed into a thin line as if telling them that they were going to get a scolding of a lifetime. Bakugou just hoped they would not bring his mother to this.

_Your classmate went missing and you didn't think of calling the police! Katsuki, I raised you better than this!_

Bakugou could picture his mother saying this, along with a couple of swears because Mitsuki did not like it when he acted like this.

A small hand grabbed his shirt, tugging it and Bakugou felt his eyebrows twitched. He swirled his head around, ready to scream at the person that dared to touch him, only to blink stupidly when he saw red eyes staring back at him.

"You look like Naruto-neechan…except you are a boy." The girl declared quietly, staring at him with hopeful eyes.

"I don't look anything like her!" He snarled and the girl flinched. She looked almost ready to cry and Bakugou almost felt a little bit sorry for his behaviour but…_he doesn't look or act anything like Whiskers. _Aizawa-sensei narrowed his eyes at him, shooting daggers at him while Deku tried to calm him down. Todoroki just stared at them, head tilted to the side.

"Aizawa-sensei, what are you going to do?" Deku asked.

"Rescuing her from whoever took her," Aizawa explained quietly as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. He flickered his eyes to Eri and then looked at Bakugou. "If Uzumaki did, somehow manage to escape, then call the school to inform them that Uzumaki has been located. Until I come back, the three of you will take care of Eri."

Three sets of eyes grew large.

"Aizawa-sensei! Wait we don't know how…"

Aizawa did not even wait for Izuku to protest before rushing out of the apartment, leaving the three boys with one little girl.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of this chapter? And what do you think of Naruto so far? **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello everyone, I would like to start off by explaining that I did not create or own Shirakumo since he is a character that is mentioned in BNHA: Vigilante and is mentioned in passing in BNHA. I also want to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_What is the point of getting out of bed?_

It was a question that Naruto rarely faced. She had never liked staying at her apartment, not when there was no one to talk to and no one to actually take care of her. But there were a few days where she did not have the energy to get up from her bed and face the day. Once she told the Hokage about her problem and he sent her to the medics to get a check up.

They told her that she was just being lazy and should just suck it up.

_But I can't suck it up today. _Naruto tried to force herself out of the bed. She needed to go to the training field and wait for Kakashi-sensei with Sakura and Sasuke. _Not that there would be much of a point, when Kakashi-sensei is three hours late and Sakura just talks to Sasuke._ If she goes then she would just either be ignored, yelled at or glared at.

Yeah, Sakura would be overjoyed at the fact she has more time with her precious Sasuke-kun. Beside if Kakashi-sensei did turn up and they did a mission then he would end up scolding her for some silly mistake. _It is like he thinks I am the problem when we have a bigger problem. _Naruto tried so hard in her missions. She tried to keep her more rude thoughts to herself and pretend it didn't bother her how much those old ladies glare at her.

Sure she makes it a competition with Sasuke but he looks down on her. He has everyone fawning over him from the girls, who have crushes on him, to the boys that wanted to be him. If Naruto could just win against him then people might start to acknowledge her.

It never helped that Sasuke taunted her about being slow when it came to their missions. How he constantly reminded her of how she made the silliest of mistakes. Naruto _hated_ him so much for it.

_When Naruto looks back, she knows it wasn't hate that she feels but frustration. She knows Sasuke has always been the more talented one, the more loved and the better one between them. She hates being second best because Naruto wanted to be perfect in her work. She spent more time focusing so much on the big things that she forgets the tiniest details._

But right now, she just felt exhausted and furious with the boy. Why did Sasuke always tells her about her mistakes but never tells Sakura about her own weakness? Sakura might have scored higher in their theoretical exams but she was the problematic one. One day Sakura would get them killed because…_it is always about Sasuke with her._

They needed to rely on her when it came to their missions and Naruto doesn't think she can rely on Sakura.

It was not about the lack of clan that worried Naruto. She never gave a shit about the capabilities of what a clan kid could do and a civilian kid could do, but Sakura always focused on her _pretty-pink_ hair and her brains. _Yeah because she got admirers and she wants to keep them._ Naruto doesn't resent her for that part. She doesn't understand how crushes or love works but…Naruto still remembers what Sakura said to Sasuke.

'_She always come between us,'_ Even now the memory plays like a movie in Naruto's mind. She never meant to listen in but she wanted to tell Sakura that it hadn't been Sasuke, but her. Her teammate deserve to know the truth so she doesn't have a rose-tinted view of what Sasuke was like. _"It is because she was brought up right."_

Even though it had been weeks since the incident, Naruto still feels the pain and anger from those thoughtless words because…_who the hell are you to talk about my upbringing? And do you know anything about your precious Sasuke?_ Naruto took a deep breath and furiously shook her head at her negative thoughts. She brought the blanket over her head and closed her eyes.

"_It is because she doesn't have any parents,"_ Naruto felt the ache in her heart get bigger and she wanted the memory to stop playing in her head. If it continued then she definitely would never go to the training field. "_She doesn't have to answer to anybody even, and it makes her completely selfish!"_

Even now Naruto failed to understand what did she do to deserve those cruel words. All she knew was that the girl she wanted to be friends with, was a complete and utter monster. Her stomach rolls as she recalls the envy in Sakura's voice.

_Because it should have been her complaining and not Sakura!_

Naruto thinks it was fine. Sakura was just a girl that didn't understand a damn thing about her life but_…it hurts so much to be reminded of her orphan status._ She wants to make excuses and she does. Sakura was pretty and smart. She probably did not know better and that it was wrong for Naruto to be so furious and hurt.

Beside, Sakura's mother would be angry if Naruto smashes her to the ground and ruins that hair Sakura took pride in. Kakashi-sensei would have scolded her. _Don't be childish_**.** Naruto knows that was what they would say. _Teammates don't hurt each other._ That was what Kakashi would tell them.

_Naruto wonders if Kakashi considered emotional pain as another form in which teammates could hurt each other. Did he ever realize that Team Seven only comprise of him, Sasuke and Sakura? Naruto never felt like she mattered to them._

Naruto did not know how long she stayed in bed but it must have been more than three hours. It must have been a very long time since her doorbell rang. Naruto barely lifted her head up from the pillow, only staring above at the ceiling.

The doorbell rang and it was not long before knocks followed.

"_Naruto! Get up you lazy bum!"_ Naruto does not even blink at the cruel words of Sakura. If it had been yesterday then she would yell at her. No, never yell because she was supposed to like Sakura. She can't let anyone know about her pain since they don't care. No, she would have made some kind of joke but she had no desire to do it now. "_We have got some training to do! Are you really going to act like a baby because Sasuke-kun did better than you?"_

_Training? What training? Kakashi would just make us do some D-rank mission and if we do have training then you certainly aren't doing your part._ The words were on the tip of her tongue but Naruto held herself back from spilling out her negative thoughts. Naruto knows Sakura like the back of her hand.

Make any tiny comment about her lack of capabilities of being a kunoichi then Sakura pulls out her grades, reminding her about who was the dead last and who was not. _So what if she scores better than me in theory, genjutsu and ninjutsu? I don't try because no one wants me to do well._ Naruto thinks if teachers give a shit for her then she tries hard.

_But what is the point of good grades when you don't observe your teammate?_ Even till this day, Naruto wanted Sakura to ask her if she was fine. She wanted Sasuke to actually say the words and not just throw a worry look, but not say something.

_Till this day, Naruto doesn't understand why Sasuke keeps quiet. Teammates care for each other. Friends care for each other…and they were each other first friends._

Naruto wanted someone to care about her.

She thinks that there was a chance her Team might fully accept her. She thinks that it would not be long before they would care for her. This was just the first step or so Naruto convinces herself as she changed into her orange jumpsuit.

She clung to that hope even when Sakura scolded her for taking her time while Sasuke just stared at her.

_It was just four years later that Naruto come to a self-realization of what was wrong with their dynamics…of why Team Seven had always been doomed from the start._

_She just didn't know who to pinpoint the blame._

* * *

"So Eri-chan, do you want to watch some videos on my phone while we wait for Uzumaki and your father?"

Eri stood right in front of the doorway, looking utterly hopeful as if any moment now Aizawa-sensei would come back with Uzumaki. It worried them or rather, Shouto supposed, it worried Midoriya. His classmate kept staring at the anxious girl, teeth nibbling at his bottom lip while he looked frantically at him and Bakugou to help.

Or rather at Bakugou because Eri seemed to be fixated with the furious boy.

_Maybe it is because he looks a little bit like Uzumaki._ The longer Shouto spent with Bakugou, the more and more he saw the slight resemblance between them. The shape of their noses seemed similar, the way they scowled but most of all…their temperaments.

Bakugou scowled at him, daring for him to make some kind of comment, before looking around the messy apartment with annoyance. The boy was constantly reaching out to take something, only to stop himself in the last minute.

Shouto glanced at the clock. It seemed like as each hour passed by, the sound of the clock was becoming louder and louder as if to remind them that Uzumaki _was gone for so long now._ The fact her phone was on the coffee table made Shouto uneasy. Even if someone had her phone number, no one would have been able to contact her.

He wondered if maybe they should try harder to find clues on her whereabouts.

_Ring._

The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the apartment and without a second delay, Eri swung the door open. The bounciness of the little girl slowed down as her back hunched up and her head dropped down.

_Did something happen?_ Shouto ran his hand through his hair as he stood right behind Eri. Mismatch eyes blinked at the sight of their numerous classmates standing in front of Uzumaki's apartment with basket of fruits and smiles playing on their faces. Well the smiles dropped and turned to looks of surprise at the sight of him standing there.

"Todoroki-san? What are you…" Yaoyorozu trailed off as her black eyes grew large. He tilted his head, turned around and blinked at the sight of a scowling Bakugou and a nervous Midoriya standing right behind him.

"Isn't it obvious? They came to check up on Uzumaki!" Ashido declared. Her amber eyes flickered between the three of them and a flash of amusement shone in her eyes, making Shouto almost worried about what was going to happen. "Aren't they sweet? I never expected Todoroki and Bakugou to do this."

The implication of Midoriya was loud and clear to anyone with a brain.

"_Call me sweet again and I will kill you!"_ Bakugou yelled.

Ashido just laughed at the threat while Midoriya grabbed hold of Bakugou, trying and failing to calm down the irritated boy.

"Ooh, did the two of you have a thing going on during Middle School? Were you secretly in love with her and so you want to be her Prince Charming?" Ashido teased, leaning further away when Bakugou attempted to grab hold of her.

The blonde settled with a glare that could have even killed the undead but there was also a greenish look to Bakugou's face, almost like he wanted to puke at the very thought of being in love with Uzumaki. Shouto wondered how anyone could think Bakugou liked Uzumaki in that way when he made an expression like that.

Yaoyorozu blinked and looked at Eri, who had suddenly decided to hide behind Bakugou's legs.

"Um boys, who is the little girl? And where is Uzumaki-san?" Yaoyorozu asked. She tip toed to get a better look of the apartment since there were four people blocking their sight. "And where is her parents?"

Midoriya took a deep breath. "This is Eri. I think she is Aizawa-sensei's daughter."

Everyone just blinked and gawked at Eri before swirling their head at him and Bakugou. He shrugged. There was no resemblance between the little girl and their teacher, but Shouto knew not every family had to be blood-related. Families could be made from an adult willing to take in a child.

"Now that is one thing I never expected from Aizawa-sensei," Ochako tilted her head. "But now that question is answered…where is Uzumaki? And where is her parents? We want to…"

Midoriya began to shift and sway at the question, green eyes avoiding the curious eyes of their classmates. If his classmate was trying to make sure no one knew what happened to Uzumaki then Shouto guessed his classmate was doing a terrible job. Everyone seemed to be growing anxious, demanding to know where was Uzumaki and her parents.

"She got herself kidnapped," Bakugou finally snapped.

Silence reined for a few seconds before chaos took over. Shouts of denial was directed towards them before they begin pushing them away to see if they were being serious. Shouto hang in the corner, mismatch eyes uncertain of what to do as Midoriya tried to explain to them about what was happening right now.

He did not acknowledge the concern look from his classmate as he walked towards the one shelf that had been left unbroken. There were not many books on the shelf, maybe two or three but there was one book that caught his attention. It was a book that seemed like it had been read a thousand of times, looking older and worn out then the other two, more famous books.

Shouto picked up the book and tilted his head to the side when he read the title. _The Tale of the Gutsy Shinobi?_ It sounded childish and not the kind of book he pictured Uzumaki to like. He opened the book, noticing just how worn out the book was. Words seemed to be slightly faded and marks were on the book as if Uzumaki read it everyday for the last three or four years.

He wondered why she read it so often.

Shouto blinked when he read the name of the character in the book._ Naruto._ He sat down on the floor, ignoring the distress whispers of his classmates. He should join in but maybe Uzumaki left a clue in her book. Maybe he would understand Uzumaki better if he read the book that she seemed to enjoy the most.

He wanted to understand his friend.

**~X~**

_Think, Naruto, think!_

Naruto chanted those words to herself as she forced herself to stick to the ground. There were several spikes on the ground, reminding her of how not only could Overhaul destroy a damn floor but rearrange it into the image that he wanted. _Not fair!_ Naruto wanted to cry those words so badly. This kind of Quirk was just too powerful. It might not compare to the Sharingan in terms of capabilities, but the attack it could make was not easy.

_Can I even beat this guy by myself? I know everyone thinks I am cocky and full of myself, but even I have doubts._

Red, teary eyes flashed before her eyes and Naruto slapped her cheeks. Focus. The battle was not about her trying to get some self-recognition. This battle was for Eri-chan. A battle to let the innocent girl live a life filled with happiness. _Do whatever it takes to win and kill that bastard._ She chanted to herself while avoiding looking at the lives already taken during their battle.

"You can't stay up there forever." The man taunted.

_I know._ Naruto nibbled her lip and fingered the last of her smoke bomb. It needed to be saved, one wrong move and she would have no more tricks up her sleeve. If she wanted to win then she needed a distraction. _Maybe I can use the sexy jutsu?_ She regarded her opponent, noticing the way he moved and recalled the location of his eyes when he did his interrogation. _Nope, he is like Sasuke. He is probably an asexual piece of shit._ After all Sasuke had never been affected by her jutsu, so the chances of this guy was even lower.

She furiously shook her head at the walls and floor surrounding her. All of the goons were dead, killed off when the bastard formed his spikes, so disguising as them was a no go. As much as Naruto wanted to continue to complain about her lack of knowledge on long-range jutsu attack, it would not solve her problem. It was just be a waste of time.

Naruto dashed to the side of the wall as a spike rushed towards her. _Summoning jutsu? The toads have some cool jutsu._ Images of dead toads flashed before her eyes and as soon as the thought came, it was dismissed. The toads were her summons, almost like her friends, and they had a family between each other. If one of them died then it might cause the ache in her heart to get bigger.

_I need to work with what jutsu I have and my brains._ Another spike rushed towards her and a memory plays out right in front of her. The Wave Mission. _That could work, right?_ If the plan had been enough to fool Zabuza then it could work for a Yakuza. She just needed to improvise.

She took a deep breath before jumping down to the ground. The ground immediately crumbled before forming several spears around her. _A kunoichi must be flexible._ She twisted one half of her body as several spears enclosed her. Her back screamed slightly in pain, reminding her of the importance of maintaining her stretches…even if the damn Kyuubi kept healing her pain.

_This is the perfect opportunity, isn't it? _Naruto flashed her hands through a familiar hand seal. Thousand of clones appeared. They smashed through the spears, allowing the original Naruto to grab one of the broken pieces while they charged straight at Overhaul. Overwhelm him. That was what they needed to do for now. Only one clone stayed back, looking almost excited with the plan that Naruto came up with.

_Hopefully, I have dumb luck by my side._

She took a deep breath, held out the spear and looked straight ahead at the crowded clones. _Not that heavy._ Naruto juggled the spike in her hand as the man attempted to destroy her clones. He placed his hands on her clones, destructing them into millions of pieces if they were actually her actual self. _Call me reckless all you want, but I ain't that stupid._

Her hand itched and a part of her thinks she should hesitate. No matter how evil this guy was, he was still another person. That was what the law stated and Naruto understood it. To a certain extent, she believed in it but…

_You are a monster._

_You don't deserve to cry._

_Cats. I like cats._

Naruto closed her eyes and hurled the spike towards Overhaul.

"Haven't you learn anything?" Overhaul declared, placing his fingers against the spear. The spear disintegrated, crumbling into tiny pieces. He blinked, swirling his head at her and Naruto just smirked. A second spear zoomed from the shadow. A cloud of smoke enveloped it to reveal the clone, who smashed the villain on the gut and sent him flying towards the wall.

She ripped a nearby spear and stared at the man clutching his stomach in pain. Naruto knew she should hesitate. She should consider him another human being but he caused so much suffering for a little girl. _The Hokage never did anything about the matron, but I will do Eri right. _A monster like Overhaul does not deserve to live or so she thought.

So Naruto hurled the spear at him without any hesitance. The spear flew and pierced Overhaul in his stomach, pining him straight to the wall. Blood stained his shirt and dribbled down his mouth. Slowly, his eyes began to lose life.

The only person left standing was her.

The adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins was now slowly dying away, allowing Naruto to clearly see the damage that she had done.

All Naruto could feel was her bile going up her throat and a small heavy lump forming in her throat. Blood decorated the room, some of it had been her own doing while some had been done by Overhaul.

_Why do I feel so sick? Being a kunoichi demands that I kill!_ She wanted to choke at the sight of those lifeless eyes. Even though it had been all for Eri-chan and for the greater good of all future kids…Naruto felt like a monster.

She just wanted to hurl out the food that she ate yesterday, but Naruto clutched her stomach and grinded her teeth. Puke might contain DNA and it might be traced back to her in some way. There was no way she would allow her actions to be caught.

_I would just go to my apartment to hurl, and maybe I need to make a quick pitstop of getting some new clothes._

She probably needed to scrub her hands clean of blood. She wanted to get rid of it, of anything that reminded her of the terrible deed she did. It had always been one thing to be told that a shinobi's duty required killing, but it was another thing to perform the act.

Naruto felt like a part of herself died today.

* * *

"I can hear footsteps coming this way!"

Shouto looked away from the book and focused his eyes on the door as Jirou pulled out her ear jack from the door. Everyone scrambled away from the living room, darting towards the small hallway and waited anxiously for the door to open. Was it going to be Aizawa-sensei? Was it going to be another Hero? Or was it going to be Uzumaki?

The door swung open to reveal a trembling blond-haired girl staring blankly at them. For a brief moment, there were no words spoken between them. There was no action to indicate his friend was furious. It was almost like she was a zombie and that scared Shouto more. He might dislike her fake smiles, might desire for her to trust him but he _never_ wanted to see her like this.

Slowly, blue eyes started to grow wide and Uzumaki just blinked and blinked as if surprised that they would be here for her.

Five seconds later and the girls were charging straight towards her, hugging her tightly and telling Uzumaki about how scared they were for her. The boys hung away, uncertain of what to do with their female classmate. Shouto saw Mineta inching forward, beady eyes excited for a chance to take advantage of Uzumaki.

Bakugou must have noticed it too, because he grabbed hold of the tiny teen and glared hard at him.

_For someone who claims not to care about Uzumaki, he is acting protective over her._ Shouto would have done the same thing as Bakugou, except he probably would freeze his feet. Uzumaki was not in the mood for this type of things.

"We were worried sick for you!" Uraraka cried, hugging Uzumaki tightly.

Blue eyes grew slightly large at the confession as her whole body stiffened at the contact made. Uzumaki hesistantly hugged back, blue eyes scanning the room of relieved students and her eyes landed on him. They stared at each other for a long time before Uzumaki tore her eyes away from his and focused on the crowds of students.

He thinks he see Uzumaki gulping at the emotions being displayed towards her.

Eri pushed the teens away and charged straight towards Uzumaki. "Naruto-neechan!"

The little girl launched herself onto Uzumaki and without a second delay, his friend opened her arms and captured the girl. She swung her around for a bit before putting her down on the ground. Eri smiled slightly before hugging Uzumaki tightly, clinging to her like she was afraid that Uzumaki would leave her.

Uzumaki burrowed her face against Eri's hair and hugged her tightly. Trembles vibrated against them and Shouto felt himself growing really uncomfortable when his friend pressed her nose against Eri's hair, breathing it in and out as if to calm herself down.

Blue eyes slowly looked up and Shouto saw the guilt and the reassurance in her eyes.

Warm grey eyes flashed right before his eyes and he felt his breath hitched along with an ache in his heart.

_Don't think about it._ Shouto took a deep breath and pulled out his cellphone. There were several missed calls from both his sister and father. He probably would answer his sister but his shitty old man could go to hell. Right now, he needed to call Aizawa-sensei to tell him that Uzumaki came back.

"Where are you going, Todoroki-san?" Midoriya asked.

"I am going to call Aizawa-sensei." His classmate blinked and flushed a light shade of pink as if he just remembered what their teacher had told them to do if Uzumaki came back. He excused himself, taking one last glance at Uzumaki. A small frown played on his lips at the sight of the trembles coursing through Uzumaki's slender body.

She was trembling even though she was giving everyone a smile and telling them that she always left her apartment messy. _Something happened._ An image popped into his mind and Shouto felt his stomach becoming slightly queasy at what Uzumaki might have actually gone through.

He did not believe for one minute that she just conveniently forgot her phone while skipping class to do her part-time job.

Shouto stared at her just a minute longer and Uzumaki must have noticed it because her eyes met his, before she looked away from him.

Shouto sighed and made his way to the kitchen. He closed the door until it was just slightly ajar, allowing him to observe Uzumaki and his classmates. He pulled out the phone and dialed the number that Aizawa made them put down on their first day of school.

"_Hello, Todoroki. What is it? We are really quite busy at the moment with…" _Aizawa sounded calm but he heard the tiredness and frustration leaking out of his voice. There was noise in the background and Shouto thought he heard Present Mic talking in the background.

Shouto stared at his trembling friend. "_Uzumaki came back just now but something happened to her."_

"_Is she injured?"_ Aizawa demanded as several voices in the background demanded for answers of Uzumaki's well-being. The second person that seemed to be concern for Uzuamki, who was not Aizawa, was All Might.

Shouto knitted his eyebrows and observed Uzumaki. Her clothes looked clean, almost brand new even and it almost fooled him into thinking her story checked out. But her eyes looked like she was in a state of pain and her usually soft hands looked like it had been scrubbed a thousand times.

Shouto wanted to know who caused her to scrub her hands.

"_She scrubbed her hands."_ He wondered if that was helpful. There was no answer behind the phone screen and Shouto wondered if he did something wrong again. Uzumaki kept telling him not to meddle but Shouto really felt uneasy seeing his friend like this.

"_Todoroki, thank you for telling me that,"_ Aizawa said tightly. "_Can you please stay with Uzumaki and Eri until I come back? Uzumaki is in no place to be by herself."_

Aizawa-sensei didn't have to tell him to stay by Uzumaki's side. Shouto knew it would be wrong of him to leave Uzumaki when his friend seemed to be in pain. It was better for him to stay here until their teacher could get a handle of the situation.

He closed his phone and watched silently as their classmates slowly leave the apartment, returning back to their homes. All of them looked apologetic and Uraraka offered to stay but Uzumaki just smiled, shaking her head.

The only people left in this apartment was now him, Uzumaki and Eri.

"You can go, Todoroki." Uzumaki declared, taking a seat on the couch. Eri climbed after her and tilted her head at them, red eyes flickering between them.

He shook his head. "I will stay here _till Aizawa-sensei comes back_. You are in no state to be left alone, not when you are shaking like a leaf."

"Look Todoroki, if you think this is a way of repaying for what I said to your Dad then you don't need…" Uzumaki narrowed her eyes at him, blue eyes flashing with a variety of emotions that Shouto could not fully comprehend. The fear in her eye was one that he could make out of.

"What if I am here because I give a shit?" Shouto took a step forward to the couch and Uzumaki stared at him with wide eyes. Her blue eyes looked everywhere but at him. "Uzumaki…"

He wanted her to focus on him.

Uzumaki furiously shook her head and looked at him with so many emotions; emotions that Shouto could not read. She took several breaths as if trying to calm herself down but something seemed to be preventing her to do it.

Because she snapped.

"Why the hell do you give a shit, Todoroki?" Uzumaki finally yells. "I haven't done anything to deserve it. We only worked together once and sure we eat lunch together so why do you do this? _They _never gave a shit and…"

Eri flinched and scooted away from Uzumaki. His friend hunched her back, opening and closing her mouth to apologize to the little girl. He shook his head at her and walked towards Eri. The girl flinched at the sight of him and Shouto hated how much he looked like his father. He took a deep breath and handed his phone, hoping the girl would get his silent message.

She took his phone and scurried to the other room. Eri closed the door, finally leaving him alone with his friend. Shouto focused his eyes on Uzumaki and took a deep breath.

"_You don't have to pretend that you are fine! I know you are not fine, Uzumaki!"_ Shouto was never the type to plead, not the type to get angry but it was frustrating that his friend was trying to keep so many walls. He waited for her to snap, to deny his words but she surprised him.

The fury disappeared like a ghost and the fake smile faded. The trembling became more pronounced and a few seconds later, tears began to stream down her eyes. _What do I do with a crying girl?_ He looked around before looking at the book that he just finished reading. _I can't avoid confrontation. _The character in that book did not and Shouto wanted to at least emulate one characteristic of that character.

So he took a seat right beside her, allowing himself to focus straight ahead on the wall. Hugs would have been a better answer but hugs made him freeze up and memories played before him. Accidents happened and Shouto did not want to make one here.

_Why the hell do you give a shit?_

Maybe answering the question was the best that he could do. Shouto did not have a way with words, hugs made him uncomfortable and he knows Uzumaki values the truth. Shouto wanted to be like Uzumaki in a sense of just being honest about what he thinks of people.

So he answered:

"_For the same reason that you spilled your milk in the canteen."_

Uzumaki blinked and blinked before finally gawking at him. She kept her head on top of her knees and her blue eyes flashed with an emotion that Shouto was familiar with. _Hope._ His friend didn't at him but she didn't tell him to get out.

It made him think that maybe _this_ was the first step of Uzumaki trusting him.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of the progression of Naruto and Todoroki's relationship? And of the general pacing of the story line? Also of the flashback? Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: : I would like to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter as well as everyone that added this story to their favorite and follows.**

* * *

Hours had passed since Naruto killed all those people and only now did Todoroki left her apartment, having only left when Aizawa came to her apartment. Her teacher came into her apartment with his hair a mess and lips pressed into a tight line. _Don't leave me with Aizawa-sensei._ The words were stuck in her throat as if it did not want her to scream those words out loud.

Naruto sucked in a deep breath. Her blue eyes avoided looking at her teacher and focused on her hands. No blood stained her hands but it still felt disgusting to her. The rust scent that used to cling to her hands disappeared, barely a reminder of what happened, yet her nose _still_ smelt the rust scent. Her blue eyes still see the stains that decorated it, even though Naruto scrubbed herself clean to the point that her hands were no longer smoothed.

'_You are a monster.'_

Her body trembled but Naruto gripped her fingers, digging it to the point that Naruto felt just pain. Pain reminded her of the present. _Forget about her._ She chanted those words in her mind as Aizawa took a seat on the sofa. _That woman_ lived in Konoha. Not here. _A bitter old woman, _Naruto tried to remind herself.

"_You are a monster,"_ a voice whispered in her head. _"You killed all those people without even thinking of a better way to do things."_

"_I had to do it."_ Naruto screamed. "_Eri-chan would never live her life to the fullest if I allowed that monster to live."_

"_Did you do it for Eri? Or did you do it because you wanted the Third Hokage make that bitter old lady pay for all those cruel words to you?"_

Naruto's body trembled. The Hokage might be a dictator for Konoha but his actions could not be thoughtless. The Matron cared for the other kids. She gave those kids a home, comforting them when they wanted it. To some of those kids, the Matron was the only mother they knew. Murder her then the smiles on her fellow orphans would disappear.

"Uzumaki, can I talk with you outside?"

Black eyes stared at her bright blue eyes. He flickered his eyes from her eyes to the nails digging her hands. He pressed his lips into a thin line. Did he know? She shook her head. Blond hair fell over her eyes and Aizawa let out a sigh.

"Uzumaki, we are going to have a talk whether you want to do it or not." Aizawa stood up from his spot and looked over his head. Black eyes searched her. Not in intimidation, thankfully, but more in a gentle way.

She didn't deserve it.

Naruto loosened her grip on her hand and pushed herself up from the couch. She walked over to the balcony, where Aizawa-sensei stood. If he interrogated her then a lie must be spoken. The truth must be hidden, never to be revealed to anyone.

Lifeless eyes stared right back at her and Naruto's breath hitched.

"Are you okay, Uzumaki?" Aizawa placed his hands on top of her shoulder and he looked down at her. Not, funnily, in a scolding way. More of a gentle way. "Do you want to talk about what happened? Do you know why you were kidnap?"

Tears burned behind her eyes but Naruto bit her tongue. She heard the question a thousand times today. _Are you okay?_ Why did these people ask? Team Seven never asked her. A nuisance. A bother. That was what Naruto was to people.

_Not to everyone. Iruka-sensei and Hinata-chan cared for me. _Hinata used to stutter and laugh at all the silly jokes Naruto made. The antics, she made to get attention, always brought a smile to Hinata's face. When all the teachers pretended Naruto didn't exist, Iruka-sensei brought her ramen. _Wasn't that care?_

She didn't know anything anymore.

Killing bad people was acceptable in Konoha. The job description of a shinobi required they killed. A kunoichi murdered their opponent. People supported it. Here, villains deserved the right to live. No matter how terrible the deeds were, killing them was unacceptable. But what if these villains escaped? What do they do then? No one talked about it here.

Naruto gazed up at the night sky. The wind tickled and nipped her cheeks almost like a mother trying to comfort her. Or what she thinks a mother should do. Would her mother comfort her after what she did? Or would she tell her to toughen up? She doesn't know. The Academy talked like the first kill was something a person could easily get over with.

Her stomach growled. Right. It had been a whole day since her stomach had any food. But dragging her feet to the kitchen was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Uzumaki, please talk to me," Aizawa paused. "I know you injured someone, but…"

Injured? Bubbles of laughter threatened to come out of her lips but Naruto clicked her feet together and swirled her body away from Aizawa. What could be said? Heroes don't kill. She _murdered_ so many people. She blinked away the tears and burrowed her fingers against her skin. Blood seeped out, coating her hands again.

"Uzumaki…"

_Don't use that tone._ Naruto loosened her grip on her arm and placed her hands over her head. Her breath haggard as Aizawa placed his hands on her head. Blue eyes looked up and Naruto's breath hitched at the way her teacher searched her. Not with anger. Not with annoyance. Just pure concern and the ache slightly eased.

She lowered her hands. "I didn't injure someone."

Black eyes grew large and Naruto tensed. She hung her head low, blond hair falling over her forehead. Blue eyes focused on the balcony. Clear and clean floors, nothing like the blood-stain floors in the Yakuza's compound. Maybe this was just like a bad dream.

"You killed someone today."

Naruto dropped her head lower and hunched her back. "I had to do it."

"Look at me, Uzumaki."

She shook her head. Tears burned through her eyes and dripped down on the floor, staining the dry floors. Look at him and nothing would be solved. What did tears get her? Nothing. Did tears give love? No. Did it give acknowledgment? Nothing.

No words spoke between them, just pure silence decorated them. Naruto sniffed and snuffed, rubbed her eyes till no more tears streamed down her eyes. Her chest was still tight but not like with Todoroki. _Honor the dead._ But honor the people who hurt Eri? Should she do it? Bile rose up to her throat and Naruto swallowed, wincing at the acidic taste.

She couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Why do you say that? Were they going to kill you?"

Naruto shook her head. She looked up and swirled her head at the sleeping little girl on her couch. Blue eyes took in the sight of the small legs dropping to the side of the couch. The cartoons lured Naruto in. Her shoulders relaxed and a small sigh escaped from her lips.

"You did it for Eri, didn't you?" Aizawa frowned as his black eyes searched her expression. He nodded and pushed himself off the balcony, weaving his way towards her.

Naruto closed her eyes. "It needed to be done."

Lifeless eyes flashed before her and the blond-haired girl turned her head away from Eri. She bit her lips till it bled and balled her hands into a tight ball of a fist.

"You could have told us, Uzumaki." Aizawa placed his hands on her shoulder and he knelt down till both of their eyes were on the same eye level. He inhaled and exhaled. The trembles in his hand stopped. "You didn't need to kill them."

Naruto grinded her teeth. "Didn't need to kill? What should have I done? Go to you or All Might? Heroes imprisoned those assholes! Assholes like Overhaul doesn't deserve to be given a slap on the wrist!"

She clutched her hand, stopping it from punching the glass window in front of them. She breathed in and out as tears streamed down her eyes. Tears dropped to the ground. Her eyes burned again. Why did this happen more often now? Uzumaki Naruto doesn't cry. Only weak people cried. Strong people smiled. No one cared for tears.

She did her duty.

"He wouldn't have been given a slap on the wrist, Uzumaki." Aizawa shook his head. "That isn't how the system works. He would have been given a life imprisonment if the crimes stacked up against him…"

"And if he escaped?" Aizawa blinked and Naruto shook her head. "You can't even answer that question? That bastard had a Quirk that could destroy walls with just the tip of his fingers. Walls wouldn't matter to him! He would just escape from there just by putting his fingers there."

Naruto twisted her head away and rubbed her burning eyes. "Killing him was the only option that I had."

Who was she trying to convince? Aizawa-sensei? Or herself? Her hands still smelt like blood and tears still threatened to overcome her. Always kill your enemy if the enemy threatened to destroy the village. Do whatever it takes to protect your village. The Academy inscribed those words in the book of shinobi law.

"Killing is never the answer," Naruto jerked her head at Aizawa. Her teacher stared at the apartment block that stood across hers. "You could have handle it better."

She stomped her foot. "I know! Damn it, I know there were a thousand things that could have been used! But he hurt Eri-chan. He hurt her and I just wanted to make him pay for his actions! Eri doesn't deserve to get hurt. She should never have a shadow looming over her."

"_We don't give money to __**beggers.**__"_

"_Monsters like you don't deserve to get comfort or cry."_

Her cheeks stung even though Aizawa stood only a couple of feet away from her. Tears erupted again from her eyes and Naruto grinded her teeth. She covered her eyes, took several deep breaths and turned away from Aizawa-sensei.

"This isn't about Eri, is it Uzumaki?" Aizawa placed his hands on her shoulder and turned her towards him. She rubbed her eyes, turned her head away but only for Aizawa to turn her head at him. His black eyes lingered on the tears flowing down her eyes. "This is about you. Did you go through a similar experience to Eri? Did someone abused you? Is this why you think like this?"

Naruto shivered and avoided the knowing eyes of her teacher. She darted her eyes to the shelf, where the photo of Team Seven and the Third Hokage stood. Blue eyes darted back to her smooth, unmarked skin. Abuse meant physical strikes from adults? Only once and even then Naruto ran away not long after that. Why stay? Running away was better.

Always better then staying.

"I never went through what Eri-chan went through." Naruto gulped and stared at the sleeping form of Eri, never once looking at her teacher. Nothing about her words were a lie. Look at her. She smiled and never looked over her shoulder like a ghost haunted her. Eri did that. Naruto does not.

Aizawa sighed and inhaled. He rubbed his chin, black eyes flickering between her and Eri, before finally focusing on the trembling girl.

"I was going to wait till tomorrow to inform you this, but it seems like this is the best time to talk about it," Aizawa relaxed his shoulders, staring at the sleeping little girl on Naruto's couch. Naruto tilted her head, eyebrows scrunched together as the man turned his eyes to her. "I found you a therapist and she agreed to meet with you tomorrow after school."

Naruto blinked and blinked before jerking her head at her teacher. Eyebrows shot towards her hairline as her teacher locked his eyes on her. "W-What?"

"I found you a therapist like I promised."

She dug her fingers against her eardrum before knitting her eyebrows together. Aizawa-sensei was actually serious about making her do therapy? He wasn't joking about the whole thing. She was fine. Perfectly fine. And did he just say after school? But why? Wasn't he going to expel her for what she did? Naruto blinked back the tears and just stared at the man.

"A-Aren't you going to expel me for what I did?" She choked out the words. This made no sense. Murder was murder and no matter how she tried to justified, what she did today had been terrible. Her lips wobbled and Naruto gazed at her teacher. "Why?"

She repeated it again and again.

Aizawa placed his hand on her shoulder and offered a tiny smile. Nothing about the smile seemed like the one-eyed smile Kakashi-sensei gave her. Everything about the smile was awkward but it eased the ache in her heart. She chewed on her bottom lip, looking back at the black eyes of her teacher.

"Are you going to do it again?" He pressed his lips into a thin line and searched her blue eyes.

Lifeless eyes flashed before her eyes and the rusty scent clung to her nose. Never again. Shinobi might be able to kill and lived with the guilt. But not her. A little part of her _died_ today and it should never happen again. Eri-chan was alive but the _naïve_ girl, inside of Naruto, just died a little.

_Sasuke might be able to live with murdering his brother, but I can't live with murdering a stranger even if he deserved it._ She stilled her hands, nodding and locked her eyes on the knowing eyes of Aizawa.

"No."

Aizawa hummed. "You are on probation and dropping out of school isn't an option, Uzumaki. But there are two conditions for you to continue with the Hero Course."

Dread rolled in her stomach at the word _conditions_ because that never sounded good.

"You take your sessions seriously when you do your therapy and you inform me or the school when you think you or the people around you are endangered," Aizawa sighed. "You might have gotten into the Hero Course but you are still not a hero."

Naruto stared at her homeroom teacher, blue eyes blown up wide as her stomach rolled around. Wasn't he supposed to scold her for her actions? Murdering people were against the law, no matter how cruel and evil that person was. Shouldn't he yell at her? Why does he still believe she can be a hero? Everyone kept saying she could be a hero.

But could she really?

_Did she even have the right?_

"Why do you have so much faith in me?" Naruto steadied her voice and looked at her teacher. Her breathing became haggard as black eyebrows raised at the question. "I broke the rules. I murdered so many people today. Heroes don't do these things."

Aizawa searched her eyes and nodded.

"Because I trust you, Uzumaki and I also know that you are a good kid, who has her heart in the right place and for now that matters," He pressed his lips into a thin line and narrowed his eyes. "But do something like this again and you will be expelled."

_He trusts me._

Naruto stared wide-eyed at her teacher and Naruto thinks that…

_Maybe Aizawa-sensei isn't all that bad._

* * *

"Shouto! Why did you skip school today!"

Shouto stared at the furious eyes belonging to Enji as he closed the door. He barely entered the house to find his father standing in front of the door way, turquoise eyes blazing with fury, while his brother and sister stood behind him. Fuyumi chewed on her bottom lip, hands reaching forward but Natsuo grabbed hold of her shoulder. He shook his head.

Enji balled his hands into a fist and tapped his feet. Shouto flickered his eyes to his siblings, tilting his head to the side at the sight of Natsuo furrowing his eyebrows at him. Why was Natsuo here? Wasn't his brother suppose to be out tonight? Fuyumi mentioned something about a date or maybe that had been yesterday. Shouto was not sure anymore.

"He actually skipped school?" Natsuo whispered. "I thought he is supposed to be the golden child."

Fuyumi nodded and slumped her shoulders, while their father reached to the wall but only to yanked his arm back. Enji tapped his feet, turquoise eyes narrowed and hands still clenched into a tight ball. Shouto hunched, mismatch eyes darting to the few artefacts decorating their house and flickered back to his father.

"You are not going to talk, Shouto!" His father roared.

Shouto just pressed his lips into a thin line, looked away from those furious eyes and strided to his room. Only to be stopped by Enji yanking him by the arm, pushing him to stand right in front of him. Fuyumi trembled, gasping and reaching out but Natsuo yanked her back. He shook his head at the girl.

"He will take out his temper on you," Natsuo hissed. "He won't be that harsh on Shouto, not when he favours him."

Shouto bristled but took a deep breath, slowing down the pace of his heart rate. He straightened his back, closed his eyes and waited for what was about to happen. Seconds passed and nothing touched his cheeks. Blinking, Shouto looked at his father. Enji breathed in and out, nostrils still flaring, and his hands stuck to the side.

"Why did you skip school, Shouto?" His father hissed, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Don't make me repeat myself!"

Shouto pressed his lips into a tight line, straightened his back before shoving his father's hand off his shoulder. Turqouise eyes grew large while his siblings choked. Shouto inhaled and exhaled as he steadied his trembling body before focusing his eyes on his father.

"Uzumaki didn't come to school." He put his foot forward but Enji grabbed hold of the sleeve of his outfit, shoving him back to him. His feet stumbled but Shouto stabilized himself. His father folded his arms against his chest, turquoise eyes growing from anger to rage at the words spoken. Natsuo knitted his eyebrow while Fuyumi squeaked.

"Is it the same Uzumaki that he brought to the house?" Natsuo asked.

Fuyumi nodded. "She is his friend."

"Since when did Shouto has friends?" His brother muttered and Shouto stiffened as grey eyes looked away from him. Fuyumi pressed her lips into a thin line, slapped their brother on the upside of his head, while Enji took another deep breath.

"You skipped school because of _that_ girl?" Shouto trembled and balled his hands into a fist as his father clenched his hands into a fist. "You should never base your actions on some girl! You shouldn't be focusing on romance! Those things are a distraction! You need to focus all of your attention on becoming Number One Hero and becoming a Hero! Just because Uzumaki is lazy, doesn't mean you have to follow in her footsteps!"

Shouto closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before glaring at his father. _Lazy? Uzumaki? _Look at that girl. A part-time job to pay for the bills. An apartment that she lived by herself, having no one to help her take care of it. She did her homework on time even though she worked over time to pay the bills.

"Don't call her that."

His father narrowed his eyes. "What? Lazy? Shouto, she is lazy if she can't be bothered…"

_Smash._

Silence reined when Shouto smashed his hand against the wall and glared at his father. Turquoise eyes grew large while Natsuo and Fuyumi gasped at the action. A small dent marked the wall on the spot where Shouto punched the wall, but the teen focused his attention on his father.

"Uzumaki is the last person that you can call lazy," he snarled. "She can't afford to be lazy because she works everyday to pay the bills. She lives in an empty apartment and has no one to clean up her mess, so she cleans it up. How does that make her lazy? Explain to me, shitty old man."

His father opened and closed his mouth, gaping like a fish while Fuyumi blinked at him. Grey eyes gazed at him and then to the dent mark on the wall as her lips hung opened. Only Natsuo seemed amused with his lips curled into a smile. Shouto breathed in and out as his heart raced against his chest.

_Have you ever shouted at him?_

It felt good to get that off his chest.

_Have you ever confronted him about your feelings._

The question nagged him. What does confronting his father about his feelings have to do with anything? Look at what it got his mother. A mental hospital and a house devoid of any emotions. No pictures of his mother decorated the walls.

But insulting Uzumaki was a whole different story for him.

"What did that girl do to you?" His father growled. "You never acted like this before you met that girl!"

"That girl has a name," Shouto snapped. "And her name is Uzumaki Naruto. That girl is my friend!"

"If she was your friend then she would have never encouraged you to skip school!" His father glared at him as their voices raised to volumes that even the neighbors could hear. "She is nothing but a distraction for you, Shouto!"

_Distraction?_ He grinded his teeth together as his father ranted about how much of a bad influence Uzumaki was for him. Yes, Uzumaki distracted him. Until that day when Uzumaki took a seat on the chair, Shouto never considered the thought of friends. But Uzumaki opened his eyes about how the world saw him. If that was a distraction then Shouto didn't care.

"If you continue to follow the crowds then you will never become number one hero," Shouto gritted his teeth and Enji narrowed his eyes. "Don't make that expression, Shouto! You should not allow that girl to influence you so much!"

Shouto clenched his hands into a fist and hissed. "Have you ever stopped to think that maybe I skipped school to check up on her? That Uzumaki never skipped school unless something happened? Because Uzumaki got kidnapped in her own apartment!"

He breathed in and out as his heart threatened to leap to his mouth. Empty blue eyes flashed before his eyes and Shouto clenched his hands into a fist. He closed his eyes, breathing in and out as anger threatened to consume him again.

His father unclenched his hands and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Does that mean you decided to break into her apartment? Todoroki Shouto, tell me that you did not decide to break into a girl's apartment!"

Silence reined throughout the house as turquoise eyes searched his mismatch eyes. Shouto straightened his back and nodded. Enji growled, turquoise eyes darting everywhere but looking at him, while his siblings blinked at the answer. Had it been wrong? Yes. Had he been more concern about Uzumaki then the law? Of course. It might have been wrong in terms of law but it seemed right at the time.

Fear build up in his stomach like it did when the hours passed in Uzumaki's apartment and there had been no sight of her.

"Why didn't you wait till her parents open the door?" His father demanded. "You could have waited till tomorrow when she didn't come to school. If something happened then, you informed me or the police! You don't do activities like this! You should have waited till her parents make…"

"She is an orphan so who would make a stupid report!"

Shouto breathed in and out as his heart raced against his chest, drumming against his chest. He straightened his back as furious eyes glared at him. He focused his eyes on his father's hands, steadying himself for the inevitable action.

Enji gritted his teeth. . "Then wait for her guardian!"

"She lives alone." Shouto said quietly. His father pressed his lips into a thin line but his turquoise eyes revealed nothing, not even sympathy. _If you are a Hero then why don't you show some care for her situation._ He balled his hands into a fist, grounded his teeth but the words were lodged against his throat.

His father took a deep breath and despite the rage in his father's eyes, the man did not make any attempt to give him another ranting.

"Why didn't you contact me to inform me that your _friend _was kidnap?" His father interrogated. "Did you even call the police or the school to inform them this?"

"Aizawa-sensei came to check up on her and found out about Uzumaki going missing." Shouto admitted.

Enji's eyebrows twitched at his words. "So you did not inform _anyone_ about what was happening? What were you thinking, Shouto! Were you going to wait till her dead body comes back? When it comes to situation like these, you _call_ either me, the school or the police about what happened."

_Because I am certain that Uzumaki could outsmart the person that kidnap her._ At first glance, Uzumaki did not have a very powerful Quirk. Yes, she could make clones and she might have the super strength going for her, but it did not compare to some of the Quirks he had seen. What she lacked in versatility, she made it up with her brains and creativity.

"With your reckless action Shouto, you might have made it harder for anyone to find…"

Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line. "Uzumaki escaped from her captors so no one needs to find her."

His father blinked and blinked, looking almost surprised that his friend had managed to do it. But then Shouto thinks of the first day of school and how Uzumaki looked almost _fragile._ Her appearance might fool people but his friend was anything but a weak, fragile girl.

If anything Shouto would say that Uzumaki was the strongest person that he knew.

* * *

"Bakugou Katsuki! What is this I hear about you skipping school! What on Earth were you thinking when you decided to skip school!"

His mother's screams echoed throughout the house, loud enough that it could be even heard from Uzumaki's apartment complex. Bakugou grunted, shrugging his shoulders and flickering his eyes to his father. The man pressed his lips into a thin line, shaking his head and jerked his finger to his mother.

Bakugou hunched his shoulder before growling at his mother. "I felt like skipping school, Old Hag!"

"Don't you dare use that tone with me, Katsuki!" His mother snarled. "Just like I brought you to this world, I can take you out of this world!"

Bakugou rolled his eyes and the blond-haired woman's eyebrows twitched. She smashed her hand against the table, cracking and splitting it in half. The two pieces of table crashed to the ground. Mitsuki narrowed her eyes, lips curled into an ugly scowl, while his father trembled.

_How the hell did he end up marrying the Old Hag is still a mystery._

"Bakugou Katsuki, tell me the truth!" His mother pressed her lips into a thin line. "Why did you decide to play hooky instead of going to your afternoon class?"

Bakugou snarled. _The old hag is not going to leave me alone until I tell her the truth._ His mother loved to push and push till he cracked under the pressure, forcing him to spill everything. Sparks crackled under his fingertips but one glare from his mother and Bakugou stilled the crackles.

"Uzumaki got herself kidnapped."

His mother tilted her head and frowned. Red eyes searched his eyes to the point that he shifted in his spot. _The Old Hag and Whiskers really look similar._ Same nose shape and the same lips too but Uzumaki had sunkissed hair. The same hair as his missing uncle. He flickered his eyes to the photo of his six-year-old uncle and then to his mother.

"When did this happen? How did she get kidnap?" His mother demanded. "Is she okay?"

_She looks like crap._ The words were on the tip of his tongue but Bakugou swallowed it down. It didn't matter what Uzumaki looked like. She was nothing but a stepping stone for him. Someone to compete against because while his classmate had a weak Quirk, she was creative. Everything else didn't matter. Not her appearance. And definitely not her attitude.

"She is fine." He snapped.

Mitsuki raised her eyebrow. "Does my little Katsuki have a crush?"

_Not this again._ This was the first time his mother made the comment but it had been a recurring theme in Middle School. Just because he observed his classmate and taunted her, doesn't mean that Bakugou liked her in that way.

"I will never like that bitch!"

She annoyed the crap out of him by judging him for his treatment towards Deku. Uzumaki acted like she was high and mighty, like she had the damn right to judge him. It did not even help that people constantly compared them, saying they could pass for as siblings with their similar looks.

"Well her parents must be…"

"Uzumaki doesn't have parents."

Bakugou does not know why he told his mother this, but it made the woman shut up. Although his father seemed almost heart-broken to learn this news while his mother looked sympathetic at the news that his classmate did not even have parents to care for her.

Bakugou doesn't know Uzumaki. Unlike those side characters in Middle School or Deku, he never had any intentions of getting to know his mysterious classmate. Not when she seemed to make it clear from the very beginning that she does not have any plans of becoming friends with anyone.

But Bakugou knew if they were as similar as people claimed, then he knows how he would feel if someone looked at him with pity. He thinks of how he would feel if someone looked at him with sympathy for having something that he never had. The thought made him feel furious and irritated since Bakugou doesn't like pity.

Uzumaki was not the type to like it when someone pitied her.

"Don't pity her," Bakugou informed his mother. "She is a hell lot stronger than people give her credit for."

He would never say those words to anyone because it would ruin their image of him. If he said those words to Uzumaki then she might think he cared for her, and Bakugou doesn't care. Friendship with her would be a waste of time, even if a part of him felt a form of connection with her. If people knew what he just said, they would think he was getting distracted on his goal. Bakugou was going to get the number one spot.

But his parents were a different story for him.

* * *

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the small insight on Bakugou? And the interaction between Todoroki with Endeavour? And the relationship between Aizawa and Naruto.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite, follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter. **

* * *

_Why do girls act so differently around the boys they like?_

It was a question that annoyed Naruto as Hinata flushed a shade of bright pink and poked her fingers together whenever Kiba glanced at them. Why did her friend revert back to her five-year-old self whenever Dog Breath look at her? Naruto knitted her eyebrow, poked her friend on the rib and giggled when the girl squeaked at the poke.

She pointed to Sakura and Ino. The two girls stood right in front of Sasuke, hands on their hips and eyes glaring daggers at each other. Bright blue eyes focused on the eyelids of her two classmates. She giggled, knowing just how silly her classmates must look to Sasuke. With that pink shadow decorated Sakura's eyelid and Ino wearing some purple glitter on her eyes, the two girls made quite a picture.

Hinata raised her eyebrow. "_What's so funny, Naruto-chan?"_

"_Don't you think they look like clowns?"_ Naruto whispered, throwing a glance at the two preteens. "_What do they have on their face? It kinda makes them look sick."_

Hinata giggled. "_Naruto-chan, they're wearing make-up."_

"_Really? I thought make-up is supposed to make girls look pretty,"_ Naruto glanced at the two girls and tilted her head. "_They just look ugly instead of pretty. You look a lot prettier than them. Maybe Sasuke will notice you and not them."_

Her best-friend chuckled and shook her head before stealing a glance at Kiba. She squeaked again, burrowed her face under hands as the tips of her ears burned a bright shade of pink. Naruto shook her head, letting out a tiny sigh. This was a sight Naruto saw everyday. But nothing happened with this behavior. Dog Breath doesn't even acknowledge her feelings. He seemed more focus on playing with Akamaru then focusing on her best-friend.

Blue eyes darted to Kiba. The boy knitted his eyebrows, his hand drifted over Akamaru's fur. He raised his eyebrow, gestured to Hinata and held his hands up as if to tell her that he didn't do anything to the girl.

She rolled her eyes and leaned closer to Hinata. "_You are lucky that Dog Breath is dense because it is obvious that you __**like**__ him!"_

"_Naruto-chan!"_ Hinata burrowed her head even further, pale lilac eyes looking everywhere but the giggling girl. Naruto beamed, wrapped her arms over her friend's shoulder and rubbed circles on her friend's shoulder. Her best-friend looked so adorable when she acted like this. "_He could hear you! I-It's too soon for him to find out."_

"_Anyone with eyes knows that you like him,"_ Naruto smiled and sighed. "_I think it is kinda sweet that you like him even though he is a pervert."_

"_Naruto-chan!"_

"_What? He fell for my sexy jutsu!"_ Naruto folded her arms against her chest, puffing her cheeks as her best friend flushed a bright shade of pink at the mention of her _infamous _jutsu. "_Not my fault your crush is a pervert!"_

She huffed, placed her hands on her chin and stole a glance at her friend, who slumped her shoulders and hung her head. A small sigh escaped from her lips as Naruto ruffled the dark hair of her best friend. Pale lilac eyes peaked up and Naruto grinned at her.

_(Those were the days when Naruto when she had been her most happiest. Maybe it was because when everyone else ignored her, thought of her as an attention-seeking girl, her friend saw the real her.)_

"_You know I will do anything to help you win him over,"_ Hinata squeaked and Naruto stole a glance at Kiba. The boy kept darting his eyes at them, dark brown eyebrows knitted together as his eyes fixated on the Hyuga Heiress. "_You know I can just invite him to have lunch with us and just conveniently skip out."_

A pair of hands reached forward, tapping against her shoulder and Naruto swirled her head away from her best friend. Blue eyes grew large as Ino's blue eyes twinkled and a coy smile playing on her lips. Dread coiled inside Naruto's stomach when the girl clapped her hands together. Any plans of keeping Hinata-chan's crush a secret would be ruin if Ino knew about it.

"_So who does Hinata have a crush on?"_ Ino demanded. "_Tell us!"_

Naruto puffed her cheeks. "_Why should I tell ya? I can just tell ya that Hinata-chan doesn't like the Bastard!"_

"_Don't call Sasuke-kun that!"_ Ino bristled, arms folded against her chest and light blue eyes blazing with fury. Naruto heard those words a thousand times. But what did those girls gained from defending him? The boy seemed fixated on looking at the blackboard than looking at them, or thanking them for defending his honour.

"_I can call him whatever I want!"_

Ino grinded her teeth, her eyes swept passed Naruto and locked on Hinata. "_Want my advice, Hinata? You should just start wearing some makeup and changed your outfit. If you want you can come over to my house—"_

_"She doesn't need to change herself!"_ Naruto glared at Ino. "_Hinata-chan is pretty. She doesn't need make up or fancy clothes to impress her crush! She isn't like you or the other girls in this class!"_

Ino sneered. "_If she wants her crush to notice her then she needs to up her game. Boys won't look at Hinata if she wears the same boring clothes and doesn't change something about herself. Of course you wouldn't know that because no one will ever look at you."_

"_Ino-san!"_ Hinata stood up, lilac eyes burning with fury, and Naruto yanked her back down. It wasn't worth making the co-president of Sasuke's fan club furious. Lavender eyes grew wide, a frown played on her lips as the blond-haired girl straightened her back. She itched to yank that platinum blond-hair Ino was so proud of, but Naruto steadied herself.

Several eyes darted towards them as everyone hitched their breath. Several of the boys avoided looking at the girls, they tugged their collars while Sasuke pressed his lips into a thin line. Black eyes focused on the trembling blond-haired girl.

Naruto smiled and closed her eyes. _"Why would I want a boy to look at me? Unlike you people, I actually have a dream. If I want to be Hokage then I don't have time for something silly like a crush or love. Once I achieved my dream then I will worry about it."_

Love was for fools and people with no ambition. Even when Naruto turned fifteen, an age where it was okay to start thinking about these kind of things, she still clung to this belief.

_Romantic love was never meant for her._

"_Idiot!"_ Sakura snapped. "_You can't choose when to fall in love! It just happens."_

Naruto scrunched her eyebrows together. "_But we are only eleven. How do we know what love is? How do you know if you are in love?"_

Hinata frowned and flickered her eyes to Sasuke. The black-haired boy frowned, shoulders hunched up and hung his head down. She shook her head, lips pressed into a thin line before glancing at Naruto. The blond-haired girl tilted her head, lips curled into a frown and eyebrows scrunched together as Sakura sighed.

"_You just know._"

Naruto hummed and bobbed her head. _"So you don't know, Sakura-chan."_

The girl scowled, balled her hands into a fist, and smashed her fist against the table. _"Stop being so childish! You just know when you are in love! I knew when I saw Sasuke…"_

The blond-haired girl yawned, drew circles around her head, which earned a sigh and a shaking head from Hinata as Sakura swirled body around, hands clapped together and stared with heart-eyes at the Last Uchiha. The blue-eyed girl puffed her cheeks. What was wrong with what she did? The story had been told a thousand times. What did Sakura-chan gain from telling people this story? Nothing. The bastard didn't even blush even though Sakura fluttered her eyelashes and peered at him.

She hid a small yawn and glanced at Sasuke. The boy stretched out his arms, black eyes revealing nothing as the girls discussed when they fell in love with him. A small smile played on Naruto's lips as the girl made a slicing motion against her neck to Sasuke.

His lips twitched upwards and Hinata sighed. Naruto swirled her head at Hinata, eyebrows scruntched together and a question forming on the tip of her tongue. Her friend just smiled even though her eyebrows knitted together into one tight line and her eyes fixated on the boy that Naruto once called her best friend.

"_Are you even listening, Naruto!"_ Sakura slammed her hands against the table, her green eyes blazing with fury as the blond-haired girl let out a small yawn.

Naruto tilted her head. "_Did you say something, Sakura-chan?"_

"_Why did I even try to explain the concept of love to you?"_ Sakura puffed her cheeks as Hinata offered the pink-haired girl an apologetic smile before shaking her head at the antics of her best friend.

Naruto shrugged with her lips curled into a big, goofy smile before flickering her eyes from Kiba to Hinata. She tilted her head, scratched her chin and focused on the sparkling eyes of her best friend. How does a person know if they were in love? What makes someone fall in love? Would someone ever like her as much as Hinata liked Kiba?

Would someone ever acknowledge her and give her the same _unconditional love_ that Hinata had for Kiba? Her throat tightened while her stomach swirled with jealously but the blond-haired girl furiously shook her head and smiled slightly as her eyebrows scrunched together. The ache in her heart intensified as her eyes softened. Hinata tilted her head, hands hovering over her shoulder and her lilac eyes searched her.

"_Naruto-chan, are you okay?"_

Sighing, Naruto dropped her head on top of the table. "_Hinata-chan, why do you like Kiba? You are polite, smart and pretty. Kiba is an idiot and acts like a dog, you can do so much better than him."_

Hinata blushed and poked her fingers together, circling them around as her lilac eyes avoided the curious eyes of her best-friend. "_I l-like how confident he is and he might not be that i-intelligent but I like how he doesn't let it bring him down. You know he kind of reminds me of you."_

Naruto blinked and swirled her head at her best friend, eyebrows shot to her hairline as her best friend offered her a tiny smile. _Like her?_ There was nothing about the two of them that was anything similar. Their appearance was anything but similar. Look at Dog Breath. He dug his fingers against his ears and seemed to have his eyes fixated on another girl that wasn't Hinata.

If someone liked her as much as Hinata liked Kiba then she would never look at a different person.

"_Does that mean if I have been born a boy then you would have been head over heels with me?"_ Naruto smiled and linked her arms around Hinata, her smile never wavering as her heart throbbed against her tight chest.

Hinata giggled. "_Yup."_

In another dimension, Naruto would have fallen in love with Hinata because how wonderful if she married her best friend. But who would she fall in love? Would anyone ever look past her whisker marks and see her for who she is?

The answer to that question would be answered only when Naruto left the only home that she ever knew.

* * *

"What do you think of All Might teaching in Yuuei?"

Naruto froze as reporters swam over hand, their hands pushing the microphone on her face. With her lips pressed into a thin smile, the blond-haired girl shook her head and shoved the reporters away. Their protest echoed in the background as Naruto sprinted through the gates, her eyes never leaving the gates. It is as if the girl never wanted to look back.

Students walked together, girls linking their arms together while the boys grabbed each other in the head and happy smiles playing on their lips. The pink cherry blossoms glided down from the trees, digging itself on the hairs of the passing students and Naruto. The blond-haired girl paused, blue eyes looking up at the cherry blossoms with a tight smile on her lips.

'_Idiot.'_

A long hand reached out, tapping Naruto on the shoulder and the blond-haired girl tensed up, her hands reaching to grab the arm. Naruto took several breaths, dropping her arm and clicked her heels together before spurning herself around. Blue eyes blinked at the sight of Itsuka standing behind her with a large smile toying on her lips.

Naruto relaxed her shoulders as the orange-haired girl looked at the cherry blossoms tanging up on Naruto's pigtails.

"Morning, Uzumaki!" Kendou grinned. "How…"

The words died down as Kendou gazed at her, eyebrows knitted together and a frown playing on her lips. Her large hands grabbed Naruto's shoulder as Kendou leaned forward, green eyes searching for something. Naruto knitted her eyebrows, blue eyes avoiding the penetrating eyes of the girl that kept trying to get close to her.

"Are you okay, Uzumaki?"

Naruto stilled before jerking her head away from the concern eyes of the orange-haired girl. Blond eyebrows knitted together before the girl schooled her expression. Taking a deep breath, she smiled widely and shut her eyes.

"Yup."

"Then why does it look like you haven't gotten any sleep?" Naruto opened her eyes, swirling her head at the girl as her blue eyes grew large at the accusation. Kendou dropped her smile and folded her arms against her chest, head tilted to the side and green eyes lingering on Naruto's face.

Naruto raised her eyebrow, lips pressed into a thin line as she gazed at the orange-haired girl. A question formed on the tip of her tongue but the blond-haired girl sighed, shaking her head. Kendou frowned and grabbed hold of the girl.

"I know you haven't gotten any sleep because you have got dark circles under your eyes," Naruto blinked and touched her under eyes before pulling out her phone. The camera app clicked and the blond-haired girl pressed her lips into a thin line at the sight of the grey circles decorated her eyes. Naruto closed her phone, stuffing against her pocket and slumped her shoulders.

It would have been a good idea to look at the mirror before heading towards the train station.

Kendou hovered around her, green eyes darting to the other students before finally nodding her head. Her green eyes shone as if a brilliant idea had come to her. "Uzumaki, do you want me to put some makeup on you…"

"NO!" Itsuka blinked, eyebrows knitted together as Naruto yanked her arm away. Her lips curled into disgust as her eyes stared at the smiling couples walking in front of them. She dug her fingers against the sleeve of her school uniform. "I don't like anyone so there is no need for me to put it on."

Green eyes softened and Kendou shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips. She opened her mouth, only to close it when a pair of arms wrapped themselves on both Kendou and Naruto's shoulder, bringing them closer as Nejire beamed at them.

"Who doesn't like anyone?" Nejire darted her eyes at the two girls. "Tell me!"

"Uzumaki thinks that I want to put some make up on her because she thinks girls only wear makeup to impress some boy." Kendou turned to the blond-haired girl, lips pressed into a thin line and a small sigh escaped from her lips. "You don't need to wear makeup but I just thought you don't want people to see your dark circles."

Naruto blinked, head hung down and bangs covered her bright blue eyes. Students stopped, eyes gazing at the three students and Nejire loomed over the two girls, making hand gestures to move the students along. _So she wasn't trying to change me? To make some boy notice me?_ She had been so certain that had been the reason. Her lips wobbled. _Right, no two people are the same._

She let out a laugh. "Of course I knew that."

Nejire spurn around, arms clapped together and a giggle escaped from her lips. The periwinkle haired girl grabbed Naruto, hugging her so tightly to the point that there was no oxygen in Naruto's lung. "Senpai! Let go of me!"

"Sorry! You just looked so cute, Uzumaki!"" Nejire laughed, releasing her hold on Naruto and she scratched the side of her head. She clapped her hands together, twisting to look at Kendou. "Can I help? I am really good with makeup! No one would even know the difference? Look at me, is it obvious that I am wearing some?"

Naruto tilted her head, eyebrows scrunched together at her senpai. Unblemished skin marked the pale skin of her senpai but with a closer inspection, a few barely noticeable bumps marked her senpai's face. Her long eyelashes seemed darker than her hair colour, but not dark enough for someone to note the difference unless they leaned close to the senior.

The blond-haired girl sighed. "Please don't go overboard. I don't want anyone else to know that I haven't had a good night sleep."

"But—"

"Hadou-senpai, don't push her."

Hadou pouted and puffed her cheeks. "Okay but one day I will put makeup on you! And I will have Tamaki to help me take a photo of it. You know he is a better photographer than Mirio."

"You and Amejiki-senpai are really close." Nejire smiled softly, her hands rubbing the side of her head as Kendou tilted her head at their senior. Naruto scrunched her eyebrows together, lips pressed into a small frown as her senior beamed at them.

The girl nodded. "He is one of my best friends in this school! You know I can't imagine Mirio or Tamaki not being there for me."

The forced smile on Nejire's face faded, replaced with a smaller smile and a small familiar twinkle shone through Nejire's eyes. Naruto froze, blue eyes growing slightly wider. Amejiki wasn't just a friend, Naruto was certain about it_._ A small smile played on Naruto's lips as jealously swirled around her stomach. The smile on Naruto's lips grow slightly wider as her eyes squinted slightly.

She shook her head and squashed down the ugly feeling in her stomach.

"Senpai likes Amejiki-senpai."

Nejire froze before a small laugh escaped from her lips. The girl rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes lingering longingly on the couples walking passed them. "I had a crush on Tamaki in our first year of Yuuei High but nothing ever happened between us. I am happy to be friends with him."

Blue eyes searched the smiling face of her senpai.

"Really, Hadou-senpai?" Nejire nodded and Naruto tilted her head, while Kendou flickered her eyes between the two girls, eyebrows knitted together into one line. "Won't you feel upset to watch him date someone else or come to you for relationship advice?"

The smile on Nejire's face wobbled but the girl smiled wider. It was a stupid question, wasn't it? No one would be happy if the person they love, never acknowledged them_._ The blond-haired girl was sure of that. Naruto's hands reached out but the girl swallowed, lowering her hands and regarded the girl right in front of her. She glanced at her year mate. Kendou nodded, green eyes flashing with concern.

"If you love someone then don't you want them to be happy?" Nejire smiled widely. "I tried to confess to him in our second year, but Tamaki stopped me, telling me that he can't return my feelings."

Naruto frowned and tilted her head. "You don't seem all that heartbroken?"

"I was heartbroken in the beginning," Nejire sighed, clapped her hands together and looked up at the cherry blossoms. "But I am going to focus on my career and just try again later after we become heroes….of course if his crush doesn't accept his feelings."

"Do you hope that his crush doesn't accept his feelings?" Kendou asked.

Of course Hadou wouldn't want her crush to date someone else, no one would want that. Naruto gazed at her senior, blue eyes focused on the way her senior's shoulder tensed up. It must be painful to have a one-sided love especially if that love was someone her senior considered to be her best friend. Hadou smiled even wider as her eyes softened and her shoulders relaxed.

"I want Tamaki to be happy and I like his crush," Naruto and Kendou blinked as the girl grinned. "I understand why he likes her so much, so I will just cheer for him."

Naruto blinked, gazed at her smiling senior and looked at the falling cherry blossoms. Her hand reached up, grabbing hold of one and eyebrows scrunched together and she twirled it around. She closed the palm of her hand, scrunching the flower to tiny pieces and dropped it to the ground.

Could anyone ever just want the happiness of the boy they love? Shouldn't someone fight for the person they love? Destroy the girl that grabbed the attention of their crush? Naruto frowned, blue eyes fixated on the smiling girl.

Her senior was weird or maybe that was real love?

Maybe to love someone was to want their happiness even if their happiness was not with you. If that was the case then Naruto wanted nothing to do with it.

* * *

"Uzumaki, did you sleep okay?"

"You should have stayed at home to recover, Uzumaki-san! The teachers would have understand if you decided to stay at home."

Shouto lifted his head from the table as his classmates crowded around the front door, where his friend stood with her hands gripping her bag tightly. Uzumaki blinked, lips curled into a wide, _fake_ smile as Uraraka and Yaoyorozu hovered around her. Iida made wild hand gestures, eyebrows scrunched together. Midoriya stood behind, lips curled into a thin line and hands reaching out and then darting back.

Blue eyes met Shotuo's mismatch eyes, her blond eyebrows knitted together. She stiffened, smile dropping slightly as her bright blue eyes pleaded for help. What does he do? Shouto wasn't going to be much use not when most of their classmates seemed intent on mothering Uzumaki.

Their classmates stiffened, squeaks escaping from their lips before they dashed back to their seats. Aizawa stood behind Uzumaki, his black eyes not looking one bit amused at the sight of his students not being in their seats.

"Uzumaki, take your seat." Uzumaki relaxed her shoulder, smiling widely and darting to her seat right beside Shouto. She swung her bag over the chair, placing the straps against the chair and blue eyes avoiding his searching eyes. Why did he think Uzumaki would allow him to know if she was fine? She seemed more focus on getting her stuff out then looking at him.

Aizawa dropped a bundle of papers on the podium, both hands clasping either side of the podium with his black eyes not revealing anything.

"There will be grave consequence if any of you decide to skip class again," Aizawa swept his eyes across the classroom, his eyes lingered on Shouto, Midoriya and Bakugou. Uzumaki blinked, swirled her head at him and Shouto stiffened, mismatch eyes avoiding his friend's concern eyes. "Bakugou, Todoroki and Midoriya! It is my job to check up on a student, not yours. Since this is your first offense, I will overlook it but do it again and the consequence will be grave."

Everyone turned around to look at the three boys, their eyes shining with sympathy. Shouto nodded, relaxing his shoulder while Uzumaki leaned to the side. He blinked when blue eyes gazed at him.

"You, Bakugou and Midoriya skipped school to go to my apartment?" Uzumaki smiled but there was a slight falter in the smile. Shouto nodded, mismatch eyes locked on the blue eyes of his friend. "Why?"

"Friends show concern, don't they?" Uzumaki blinked and lowered her head, blond bangs falling over her forehead and hiding her bright blue eyes. Did he say something wrong? He must have said something wrong for Uzumaki to keep her head down for so long.

"Now that I have finished with that warning, let us get down with some homeroom business," Aizawa sighed and gazed at his curious student. "What all of you will decide today will affect all of you for the year so choose wisely."

Everyone stiffened in response, their eyes shifting and glancing at each other. What did Aizawa-sensei mean by choose wisely? Shouto knitted his eyebrows together, flickered his eyes to Uzumaki and then to the rest of his fellow students.

"You need to pick a class president today."

Sighs of relief escaped from the students lips with the only exception of Uzumaki. The girl relaxed her shoulders, put her head on the table and just darted her eyes around their various classmates.

Hands shot up to the air as almost everyone begged to become the class president. Shouto gazed at them, mismatch eyes swepting across the various students that screamed and begged for the role. His eye went to the side where Uzumaki knitted her eyebrows, head tilted to the side and hand scratching the back of her neck.

"Don't you want to be class president?" Shouto stared at his friend.

Uzumaki shook her head, curled her lips into a thin line as her blue eyes swept across her various classmates. "Maybe if I didn't have to work part-time, take care of an apartment and worry about surviviving then I would take it. Probably would be worth it."

He frowned, mismatch eyes focused on the left hand that seemed to be gripping her other hand as if to stop it from springing upwards.

"You want to do it." Uzumaki blinked, blue eyes growing wide and a tight smile played on her lips. He frowned, leaned against her and gazed at her blue eyes. "Why don't you offer to do it? Your clones could help you ease the work that you do, won't it?"

"Wouldn't it be a disgrace for me to use my clones for something like that? It should be my real self-there, not my clones." Shouto frowned, eyebrows knitted together as a small sigh escaped from Uzumaki's lips. Her fingers toyed around the ends of her long pig-tails, blue eyes focused on their screaming classmates. "Besides my clones can be unreliable."

Shouto hummed and nodded. It made sense when Uzumaki said it in that way because the class president should be there, not her clone. But despite saying that, Uzumaki seemed to stare at the podium with longing and a tiny smile on her lips.

"Silence, everyone!" Iida's voice pierced through the screams of their classmates and everyone turned to the boy. Iida's hand was also shot upwards while his other hand adjusted his falling specs. "This job requires someone that can lead people and that is a heavy responsibility. The role of class president requires the trust of the other students and should be decided on an election."

"You do realize that everyone is going to elect themselves, don't you?" Everyone swirled their head at Uzumaki. The girl placed her head on the top of her hands, blue eyes swepting across everyone. "If we want to do this in a way that we only want people worthy for the job to take it, then someone should nominate who they think is a worthy class president and we vote on it."

"Uzumaki, everyone will just elect themselves," Kirishima frowned and swept his hands across their classmates. "We are only going to vote and elect ourselves."

Uzumaki nodded. "That is why I think if anyone who elect themselves will not be put on the board so that they can be voted. If you are really confident that you are a good leader then someone will nominate you. If you just nominate for yourself then you are probably not worthy for the job. After all, we have been together for a week now, so all of us have some idea of who we want to lead this class."

"Uzumaki-san is right," Iida nodded. Everyone knitted their eyebrows, lips pressed into thin line as everyone glanced at each other with uncertainty. "That's why I nominate Midoriya!"

Shouto blinked, eyebrows shot to his hairline. Didn't his classmate raise his hand for himself? Didn't he want the role? His eye glanced to the side, where Midoriya blinked and knitted his eyebrows.

"I don't care how you kids do it but get it finish before homeroom is over," Aizawa slithered himself into his sleeping bag and zipped himself up. "If you haven't decided by the time my nap is over, I will choose."

Everyone gulped and nodded.

"I nominate Yaoyorozu!" Jirou pointed to the black-haired girl sitting on the other side of Shouto. The black-haired girl beamed, hands clapping together and her black eyes twinkled.

"I nominate Iida." Everyone blinked and turned to Uzumaki. The blond-haired girl focused her eyes on the frozen boy, her head dropping to the side. "What? He looks like a class president."

Everyone nodded, their eyes fixated at the glass-wearing boy. The blue-haired boy sniffed, hung his head down before straightening his back and saluted at the blond-haired girl. "I will make sure you don't regret it, Uzumaki!"

"Say that if you become Class President," Uzumaki let out a small yawn.

Midoriya raised his hand meekly, green eyes focused on Uzumaki. "I nominate Uzumaki-san."

"What?" Uzumaki swirled her head at Midoriya, eyebrows shot to her hairline while everyone focused on the frozen girl. The green-haired boy offered a small smile, green eyes shining with hope. Why was his friend so surprised? And why did she look like she wanted someone to say she shouldn't be nominated? Everyone understood why Midoriya chose to nominate her, heads nodding in agreement.

Papers were passed around as Asui wrote down the nominated names. The students darted their eyes around the classroom, sweeping across the numerous nomination. Shouto tilted his head, eyebrows scrunched together as pens made scratching noises to vote for the nominated president.

Uzumaki had a lot of things going on her plate, becoming class president would be an overkill even for her. Shouto darted his eyes to Yaoyorozu, who straightened her back and stared at the blackboard. Yaoyorozu's Quirk required her to think things through, made her analytical and was being groomed to take over her family's business.

He nodded and scribbled down his vote.

Minutes passed and once all the students decided on a class president, the papers were handed forward to where Asui stood. The girl read through the numerous slips before picking up the chalk, scribbling down the values of the nominated.

Midoriya had the highest number of votes with 8 with Uzumaki and Yaoyorzu coming second with 5 votes. Iida had only one vote. Uzumaki probably voted for him. Her lips curled into a frown, blue eyes darting towards the glass-wearing boy who slumped his shoulders.

"Do we do two vice-class presidents?" Kirishima frowned and flickered his eyes to their sleeping teacher. "Or should we do a tie breaker?"

Uzumaki grinned, lips pressed into a tight smile. "No need. Yaoyorozu should be the vice-president; she is a really good leader if you ask me and our vice-president should be smart. Yaoyorozu is incredible…so yeah."

Everyone blinked while Yaoyorzu knitted her eyebrows, black eyes focused on the smile playing on Uzumaki's face. The black-haired girl frowned and tilted her head, surprised at how the blond-haired girl seemed ready to give up the role to her. Too much work should have been Uzumaki's answer but for Uzumaki to admit it, would be mean her telling everyone that she struggled to handle the workload.

Shouto frowned and focused his attention on the girl. But why wouldn't Uzumaki say it? She looked at the nomination with longing so why didn't she want people to vote again for the class president?

* * *

"I am surprised that none of the girls nominated you."

Naruto played with her chopsticks, balancing them on the top of her lip as Todoroki took a bite of his soba noodles. Crowds of students lined up in the canteen, smiling and laughing while the Lunch Rush Hero hurried to make their meals. Across them were several couples as well as circles of friends, snickering and teasing each other.

Todoroki lowered his chopsticks. "Why are you surprised?"

Was he being serious? And why was he knitting his eyebrows together? The boy had seen himself in the mirror, hadn't he? Naruto raised her eyebrows, removing the chopsticks from her lips and fixated her blue eyes on the confused mismatch eyes of her friend.

"Have you seen yourself?" Todoroki tilted his head and raised a single eyebrow, earning a sigh from the blond-haired girl. "Don't make me spell it out for you, Todoroki! You are a Pretty Boy!"

White skin flushed a pretty shade of red. Why did she say that? Todoroki was looking at her like she was an alien because of her stupid mouth. Naruto shook her head, straightened her back and pointed her chopsticks at him. "I am telling you this without any funny business! This doesn't mean that I like you."

"So you don't consider me as your friend?" Todoroki frowned, tilted his head as a wrinkle formed around his forehead.

Naruto spluttered. "That wasn't what I meant!"

"Then what do you mean, Uzumaki?" Todoroki looked at his soba noodles before darting his eyes at her, eyebrows knitted into an even tighter line. Naruto flushed a deep shade of red almost resembling a tomato, before burrowing her head under her hands.

Todoroki lowered his head, one hand hovering her shoulder as his other hand poked her against the ribs as if she was some kind of dead animal. "Are you sick? Do you need me to press a pressure point for you? I know one—"

"Has anyone confess to you?" Naruto dropped her hands, pressed her lips into a thin line and folded her arms against her chest. How could someone like Todoroki not understand what was being implied? Several of the girls from their class seemed to keep glancing at their table, their eyes lingering on Todoroki. Hell, there were even some of the seniors sneaking glancing at them.

Shouto blinked. "Confess?"

It was official: her friend was dense.

"Yes," Naruto pointed to the couple sitting across them. The girl giggled, flushing pink as her chopsticks fed her boyfriend a cute octopus-shaped sausage. "You know girl likes boy, boy likes girl and boom the girl confesses her undying love for boy. Sounds kinda familiar to you?"

Todoroki hummed. "Oh? You mean like in those Shoujo anime?"

"Yeah, like those." Naruto kept her voice light and calm, her face smiling as her brain tried to picture her friend reading those romantic manga. Her lips twitched as a small laugh tried to escape from her lips. Todoroki sitting in his bedroom, flipping through those pages and sighing like a teenage girl as he screamed in anger when the second-lead didn't get his girl. Oh, she would pay money to see it.

"Nope," she blinked and Todoroki tilted his head. "Why?"

Naruto pinched her nose. "Todoroki, you are a good-looking guy and I am pretty sure that several boys would want to have your looks just so they can score some with the girls."

The mismatch boy froze, looking almost like a statue at her words. Naruto frowned and waved her hand over his eyes, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Did she say something wrong? Because he really was not responding to her waving gesture at all and was just looking at her with really strange eyes.

"Look you are the most good-looking guy that I know which is saying something since I know a lot of guys," Todoroki finally nodded and Naruto blinked. Wait, did she just imply she found him really attractive. Her cheeks burned a bright shade of red. "T-This does not mean that I find you attractive! I am stating a fact!"

Todoroki nodded, lips curled into a barely noticeable smile and Naruto groaned. She buried her face over her hands as several students, sitting in the same table as them, giggled at the antics. Great. Now she was the laughing stock of everyone in this damn school; even the girls were shooting her looks of pity.

"I like you as a…"

A loud siren pierced through the canteen, causing the students to jump up and looking frantically around. Naruto dropped her chopsticks, eyebrows knitted together as several students pushed each out of their chairs, charging straight towards the door. What was happening? Why was everyone running so frantically? She darted her eyes to Todoroki.

The boy knitted his eyebrows, dropped his chopsticks and flickered his eyes to the canteen.

"What's going on?" Naruto grabbed hold of the girl dashing straight to the exit door as Todoroki swept his eyes across the crowding students blocking the exit.

"That's the security alarm," the girl responded quickly, her eyes flashed with fear by the news herself. "It has never gone off before since I have been here, it means someone managed to break into the school."

Instructions to evacuate blared over the speakers across the whole campus and the remaining students seated, had now decided to drop everything to dash towards the exit. Naruto stood up from her seat, blue eyes sweeping towards the window, where cameras and notepads could be seen. The press was here? But how did they get in? Naruto nibbled her lips.

Someone shoved her from the side and Naruto stumbled. Blue eyes grew wide when Todoroki grabbed her hand, steadying her and bringing her close to his side. She raised her eyebrow, lips pressed into a frown as the boy darted his eyes to the tornado of students dashing straight to the gates.

Everyone was just too much chaos, students shoved each other and screams of terror echoed throughout the canteen. Naruto closed her eyes, lips pressed into a scowl as her blue eyes focused on the seniors demanding to go straight ahead.

"Don't they realize that it is just the reporters?" Naruto grumbled, blue eyes darting to Todoroki.

He looked down, lips pressed into a thin line. "If it never happened before then they are probably not thinking logically."

A frown played on her lips as the girl tip-toed over Todoroki's body, blue eyes barely catching a glimpse of the exit . Great. How was she going to be able to see if the students were still crowding around the exit? She looked up at her friend, blinking wolfishly when he brought her close to his chest and his right hand hovered to the side.

Ice enclosed them, blocking them from the students who seemed to be charging straight towards the exit doors, hands waving frantically across the air.

Naruto blinked, cheeks burning a bright shade of red as heat radiated from the right side of his body. It almost felt like fire, burning and ever warm even though the canteen felt like a winter wonderland with how cold it was. Her cheeks burned a brighter shade of red when her hands felt the hard planes that was definitely a chest.

She furiously shook her head and pushed her face off his chest. She tip toed, her head barely touching Todoroki's shoulder and with a small frown playing on her lips, Naruto placed her hands on Todoroki's chest. She took a deep breath, pressed her palms against them and jumped onto his shoulder.

"Uzumaki?"

"You are taller than me and I wanna see what is happening," she frowned and looked down at the blank eyes of her friend. Why did he seem shock about something? It was obvious with anyone with eyes that her height paled in comparison to his. "By the way, why did you create an ice wall?"

Todoroki raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you want to be trampled down by the stampede of students?"

He had a point.

"Where was Todoroki when I was in the Academy?" She scratched her neck, blue eyes darted to the nervous crowds of students and a small sigh escaped from her lips when Iida jumped to the exit. "You would have been the perfect bodyguard from those fangirls."

"Uzumaki?"

Naruto tilted her head and rubbed the back of her neck, blue eyes staring distantly at the glass-wearing boy like she was in another world. "But he is a Pretty Boy and a lot of girls would have been fighting over him, so there would have been two annoying groups of girls."

Todoroki looked up, mismatch eyes blank and eyebrows knitted together. "Uzumaki, what are you talking about?"

There was only one solution. Naruto flushed a bright shade of red and plastered a big smile on her face as mismatch eyes shone with confusion.

"You heard nothing!"

Whenever in doubt about what to do, deny because the truth could only be embarrassing.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of this chapter? And of the interactions between the characters? What do you think of the pace of the relationship between Todoroki and Naruto?**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter. I know that this chapter might be short but the next chapter will be the start of the USJ arc. **

* * *

Namikaze Keisuke has been called a fool many times since she took in her granddaughter.

She wasn't dumb. That much Keisuke was certain. Especially since she had been one of the few civilian girls in her family that knew how to read, write and count. How could she raise the demon's child? When the girl took away her child. Those words whispered in the streets of Konoha whenever Keisuke ventured out with Naruto in the streets of Konoha.

The villagers saw those whisker marks and called her sweet Naru-chan, a demon. But Keisuke saw those ruffles of blond hair, resembling the sunshine hair of her deceased husband and his child, and sees Minato and Souta staring back at her. Kushina was there too. She was in Naruto's eyes and face. Both Minato and Kushina had been a good looking couple, so it was just natural that their child would grow to be a looker just like her son feared.

At the age of two, Naruto looked like a little angel and she probably would grow even more beautiful when she reached her teens. Minato had been a good-looking boy and Souta had been so handsome as a teen, always the talk of the village and having so many girls admiring him.

Her husband would probably spoil Naruto rotten if he was here; he always wanted a daughter to spoil.

Tears burned behind her eyes and Keisuke stared at the secret wedding photo of her son with his wife. Light brown eyes flickered to the ground, where Naruto sat on the ground with a crayon on her small chubby hand. Today was her birthday, a day where Keisuke should take her out to enjoy the festival but something nagged in her stomach. Something bad was going to happen today and Keisuke would rather stay at home with Naruto then venture out into a festival, where people might look at her grandchild with hate.

Naruto dropped the crayon, blue eyes focused on her and the little girl pushed herself up from the ground. The little girl's legs wobbled, almost forcing Keisuke to rush to the girl but Naruto puffed her chubby cheeks. Blue eyes flared with determination, reminding her of Kushina and how determined the woman was to impress her.

"Granny, don't be sad!" Naruto tugged on her apron, blue eyes growing wide and hands reaching up to give her a hug. Keisuke smiled, buried her face against the girl's hair and ticked the girl's stomach. Giggles erupted from the little girl, blue eyes twinkling with joy and Keisuke thanked the Hokage for giving her this chance to raise Minato's daughter.

"Silly Naru-chan," she blew against the girl's stomach. "Granny won't ever be sad because today is her precious Naru-chan's birthday. Do you know how old you are, today?"

The girl grinned and held out two fingers. "Naru-chan is two!"

Things would become a concern when Naruto turned four. Keisuke flickered her eyes to the smiling photo of Minato, lips pressed into a thin line and eyebrows knitted together. Just another two more years and then it would be known if Naruto did have a Kekkai Genkai from her father's side of the family.

Keisuke frowned. Minato never inherited the Kekkai Genkai, which was never a big problem in Konoha. Not everyone can activate or inherit their family's Kekkai Genkai. But a person could still be a shinobi as long as they accessed their chakra from a young age…or so her husband explained to his son.

Minato always wanted to inherit his mother's Kekkai Genkai, but Keisuke prayed Naruto never inherited it.

Charmspeak was the Kekkai Genkai of Minato's mother. A strange Kekkai Genkai if Keisuke think about it when she considers the various Kekkai Genkai in Konoha. The power to convince people to follow a certain view? That shuddered her. Politics were not her strong suit, especially shinobi but if the shinobi learn of it then they might just use her precious granddaughter.

Keisuke doesn't want to lose Naruto, not when seeing her draw so many pretty pictures brought a smile to her face. Not when the girl was just so young but already had so many people hating her.

The door to her cabin shook and trembled, alerting Keisuke that people were attempting to get in. She flickered her eyes to Naruto, the blue-eyed girl stared distantly at the door. Her little legs wobbling towards the door, hands reaching to open the door. Fear curled in Keisuke's stomach as her throat became dried. She took a deep breath, grabbed hold of her granddaughter and stride towards her bedroom.

"Granny?" Blue eyes shone with fear and Keisuke plastered a smile. "Door shaking."

Keisuke pressed her lips against her grandchild's forehead. "Granny knows, Naru-chan but Granny wants Naru-chan to stay here until Granny tells you that it is safe."

"Safe?" Her granddaughter knitted her eyebrow.

Keisuke took a deep breath, hands trembling as the knocks from outside the door became louder and louder to the point that even their neighbors would hear them. "It means I want to protect you from any bad people that wants to hurt you."

"Granny come back? Promise?" Naruto looked up at her, blue eyes growing large with fear and it really was amazing to know that the girl was just two. Only two but already understanding what might just happen outside that door. Keisuke nibbled her bottom lip, hands trembling as her eyes flickered to the old kunai belonging to her deceased husband.

She closed her eyes and nodded. "Granny will come back 'cause she needs to take care of Naru-chan and make sure she becomes a strong little girl like she promised Naru-chan's Mummy and Daddy."

Keisuke stride towards the door, one hand reaching out to the knob but only to pause and the other hand grabbing the kunai. She swirled her head around, lips wobbling at the sight of the tears streaming down Naruto's eyes. Those tears looked so much like Minato with the snot drooling out of her nose and her loud brawls.

"Granny loves you, Naru-chan." Tears leaked out of her eyes. "Don't you ever forget that Granny loves you just as much as your Mummy and Daddy loves you. No matter what happens, I want you to know that you are my precious grandchild. That you are the daughter born from two people, very much in love and heroes of this village."

She wasn't certain if she was going to come back to this room to reassure her grandchild, but Keisuke wanted her grandchild's last memory of her to be a bright smile on her face.

The child deserved to have happy memories.

* * *

Naruto really wished she made up some excuse for not doing the stupid therapist appointment today.

Blue walls surrounded Naruto as her body dropped onto the chair. Pictures of smiling families and several bad drawing that might have been drawn by a couple of kids decorated the walls. Her hands trembled as Naruto plastered a smile on her face. Sitting across her was a young woman, probably a little bit younger than Aizawa-sensei, with light blond hair and sparkling emerald eyes.

Would it be possible to escape from this room? Well the therapist sat close to the window, making it pretty difficult for Naruto to flee without alerting her. Maybe a justu could be used? No, Aizawa-sensei would be alerted from the loud sound. The man was sitting outside the room like he promised her.

"Do you know why you are here?"

Naruto tilted her head, eyebrows scrunched together as the woman regarded her. She shrugged and shook her head, blue eyes avoiding the searching eyes of the woman in front of her. The young woman pressed her lips into a thin line almost looking as if she tasted a bad lemon, but then it faded; replaced by a smile.

"Why don't we start the session with getting to know each other?" The woman leaned forward and tapped the nameplate displayed proudly on the table. "I am Dr. Hashimoto, but you can call me Yuna. I am twenty-seven this year."

Naruto regarded her, lips pressed into a wider smile. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I am fifteen."

The woman regarded her, eyebrows scrunched together as if waiting for Naruto to say something more. The fifteen-year-old flickered her eyes to the walls. Several of the paintings looked gaudy, conflicting with some of the more expensive art works scattered around the office. Green eyes followed her movement.

"What would you like to be called during our sessions? Uzumaki? Naruto? Naruto-san? Naruto-chan? Or…"

"Uzumaki, I guess." Naruto shrugged.

Yuna nodded. "How are you, Uzumaki?"

Oh? So they were going to play that game. The therapist leaned forward, green eyes searching her blue eyes as Naruto plastered her goofy smile and closed her eyes. "Fine. I eat well, sleep well and I have two legs that I can use to walk."

Yuna's lips twitched, almost a smile but it was almost like the woman was holding herself back from chuckling at the answer. Naruto just shrugged. She leaned against the chair, hands wrapping either side of her head and blue eyes looking everywhere but the green eyes of the therapist. This whole session was stupid. She didn't have trust issues or else she would have never told Aizawa-sensei about what she did.

The woman hummed. "It is a good thing you are physically well, but I am not talking about your physical health."

Yuna pointed to Naruto's chest, in the location where the heart should be. Blue eyes blew up like balloons at the question but the blue-eyed girl tightened her smile. Who cared about emotional pain? There might be a constant ache in her heart but not enough to complain about. It was just there, always in the background like those annoying songs playing in the radio that Naruto could never get out of her head.

"I think my heart is fine," she flashed a bigger smile. "My heart rate is normal."

Yuno sighed. "I am talking about your emotions, Naruto-san."

Naruto blinked. The smile playing on her lips faltered but then it grew even larger, stretched so thin that her face almost felt like it might crack into tiny pieces. Yuna pressed her lips into a thin line, pulled out the notebook from the drawer and scribbled down some notes. Naruto leaned forward, blue eyes darting to catch a glimpse of the notes but the woman brought it close to her chest.

She sighed. "Look if I don't want to talk then can I just leave? You can make some bullshit story to Aizawa-sensei about how I opened my heart to you and all that stuff."

"That would be lying," Yuna paused. "But we can do something else if you don't want to talk."

Naruto poked her tongue against her cheek, blue eyes darting around to find something to do. Anything would be better than spilling her guts to some woman that doesn't care about her. Her lips curled into a grin at the sight of the familiar pack of cards lying around on the table.

"How about poker?"

Yuna blinked. "You know how to play?"

"A little," Naruto shrugged as the woman regarded her for a good couple of seconds before bringing out the cards to play. If she was going to be stuck here for one hour then a game of poker seemed good. Probably breaking the rules Ero-Sennin taught her but the man never followed his own rules. She smiled at the woman.

They spent thirty minutes playing the game with Naruto smiling like an idiot, even though her cards were crap. Poker was fun. Allowed her to observe the therapist like how the woman constantly brightened whenever she had a good set of cards in her hands. Poker was probably the easiest game. Even if luck was not on her side then act like a fool to make your opponent think they win.

"Okay, I fold!" Yuna dropped her cards, revealing her cards for the whole world to see. Naruto grinned, dropped her cards and crackled when the woman's eyes grew wide at the sight of the bad set of cards in the teen's hands. Naruto tilted her head when the woman observed her, eyebrows knitted together as if Naruto was an anomaly.

"This isn't the second time you played this game, is it?" The woman observed. "You made me believe that you had a good set of cards, just now. You kept smiling even though your cards were bad; it isn't easy to hide your emotions."

Naruto shrugged. "Poker is a game of luck and observation."

How Tsunade could constantly keep losing was a mystery. No matter how bad a person's luck was, the poker face should be enough to fool people into thinking that you are good. Naruto raised her eyebrow as Yuna scribbled down a couple of notes, her green eyes never leaving Naruto's eyes.

"You are an observant child, aren't you?" Yuna observed. "Even though you smile like a fool and give off an appearance that you aren't that bright, you are actually more intelligent then people give you credit for."

Naruto regarded the woman, blue eyes turning completely emotionless as Yuna leaned forward. Her hands clasped together, her head balancing on top of her hands as her green eyes sparkled like she had a breakthrough. Just from knowing her poker style, the woman seemed to deduce this much about her and only one other person deduced her intelligence that quickly. Naruto frowned.

She shrugged. "Isn't there some saying about not judging a book by its cover? People want to see what they want to see."

'_You are a monster.'_

She clenched and unclenched her hands.

'_You? Hokage? Like an idiot like you can become Hokage."_

Her hands trembled but Naruto took a deep breath and plastered a tight smile. Yuna put down her pen, lips pressed into a thin line and regarded her with concern eyes. Oh god. She walked right into a trap, didn't she? Naruto's smile stretched even thinner as the woman tilted her head.

"Not many teenagers would jump to your conclusion," Yuna stated. "Would you say you have to be on guard your entire life?"

'_You're a liar."_

"_You are __**not smart**__ enough to get this score."_

Her head throbbed as more and more voices swirled around her head, echoing and chanting things like a broken radio recorder. She balled her hands into a tight fist, nails digging into her palm till blood soaked out of her palm.

She relaxed her hands and shrugged. "I don't know."

The woman pressed her lips into a thin line, green eyes searching her before nodding her head. "Then tell me something that you do know."

Naruto regarded the woman. Blue eyes searched those green eyes and her head began to throb like it always did whenever she stared at someone with green eyes. She took a deep breath, pressed her lips and released it in slow puffs. Right, Aizawa-sensei asked her to take this a little bit seriously and the man was standing outside, so the woman might tell him that she refused to cooperate.

Green eyes stared at her with concern.

"I hate my birthday."

Yuna frowned. "Why?"

"_Because Granny abandoned us on our birthday. She broke her promise to us."_ Naruto blinked and swirled her head around as a pair of loving green eyes flashed before her eyes. Who was that voice? It sounded like her but younger, so much younger than her fifteen-year-old self. Who was Granny? And why was her heart hurting so badly? The ache in her heart intensified to the point that her hands reached out to clutch her chest. She grinded her teeth, dug her nails against her palm and allowed the blood to soak her fingers.

She took a deep breath. "I think my one hour is up."

The Kyuubi had always been the reason she hated her birthday, but maybe there was another reason for her hatred towards her birthday. It was just buried under the chest of memories that Naruto never wanted to open up.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of the therapy session? And the flashback? What do you think of the story so far? What do you think can be improved?**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter as well as everyone that added this story to their favorite and follows.**

* * *

Izuku couldn't believe that their teachers planned for them to have a field trip to USJ after that break in yesterday. Most of their classmates seemed to be excited, jumping and hopping onto their designated seats as they chattered about what they expected to see in USJ. The only person who seemed to be the least interested in talking was Naruto.

His blond-haired classmate buried her head with a book, blond hair hiding her eyes as she flipped through the pages. What was Uzumaki reading? Izuku glanced down, his eyebrows knitted together as he tried to make out the characters of the book. The Tales of the Gutsy Ninja? His classmate didn't seem like the type to read this kind of book, but she seemed to be really engrossed with it.

Not once did she ever look up from her book.

"Uzumaki!" Blue eyes perked up from her book as Mineta stood up on his seat, hand pointing at the book in Naruto's hands and a righteous smile playing on his lips. "You talked about my bad habits but we are the same! You are reading a smut book! You are a hypocrite!"

Izuku felt his cheeks burning up as everyone swirled their heads to look at Uzumaki. Pink lips pressed into a thin line as Uzumaki closed her book like she was afraid of making a sound. She raised her eyebrow, looking at Mineta like he was the idiot.

"And what makes you think I will read smut in public?" Uzumaki held up the book for everyone to see. "This is a fictional book. Not one of those smut books that you like."

"Really? The great Jiraiya wrote that book!" Izuku knitted his eyebrow and scratched his head while Kaminari flushed a light shade of pink, blood dripping slightly out of the nose. "He wrote so many amazing books filled with so much smut! All of his books contain it! You can't fool me."

Uzumaki snorted. "_Amazing?_ His books are shitty!"

Silence reined throughout the bus as everyone gawked at the implication of her words. Even Aizawa opened his eyes, head swirling at the blond-haired girl for implying that she read those books. Uzumaki slowly turned red, blue eyes closing and a nervous laugh escaped from her lips as the silence continued to take over the once noisy bus.

"You read smut?" Ashido cried.

Naruto groaned, hands covering her whole face and ears burning a bright shade of red as several of the boys looked at their classmate in a new light. The girl hunched her shoulders, hands opening and closing before she swirled her head at them. The annoyance shining through her eyes almost reminded him of Kacchan, except less scary.

"I was just curious to know what was the big deal about the stupid Icha-Icha series!" Naruto grumbled. "By the way, half of the things he wrote were just impossible. The proportions of a woman's body are not that proportionate! And—"

"You are making things worse," Yaoyorozu pointed out, burying her face against her hands. "Just stop, Uzumaki-san."

"Someone just kill me now!" Uzumaki cried.

This was probably the first time the girl ever acted like this, but when Uzumaki blushed red as a tomato and looked frantically at someone to save her; well Izuku understood why a few of the boys in Middle School developed crushes on her.

Asui patted the girl on the back, eyes still completely blank as her hands rubbed circles around the tense girl. His classmate turned to look at him, face completely blank. "I hope you don't mind me saying this Midoriya, but your Quirk resembles All Might."

Uzumaki's ears perked up, almost making the girl looked like a curious fox that was dying to eat its prey. Izuku sweated as more and more eyes shifted their attention away from Uzumaki to him. Was it too late for him to go out of the window? Yup, the bus had already started moving. He waved his arms frantically. What does he say? Uzumaki seemed to be on to him.

Actually only Uzumaki and Bakugou knew he used to be Quirkless, so it made sense they were the most curious to know what happened to him.

"All Might doesn't get hurt," Kirshima shook his head. "They are already different in that way but if we want to compare students with Quirks that are really similar to Pro-Heroes then we should compare Uzumaki. Her Quirk is really similar to Uzushiokage. Both of them can make clones and he also has insane strength."

Uzumaki stiffened, blue eyes avoiding the curious eyes of several of their classmates.

Ochako bobbed her head. "Uzumaki also uses the same type of tactics that Uzushiokage uses, whenever someone asked him about his Quirk."

Sweat began building up around Uzumaki's forehead. Didn't All Might use to make diversion tactics because he didn't want to reveal the truth about his own Quirk? Izuku nibbled his lips, fingers twitching as his green eyes focused on his sweating classmate. Was it possible that Uzumaki's Quirk worked in a similar way to his?

"Yeah but they are probably doing it because people like a mystery," Kirishima declared. Uzumaki let out a small sigh as people bobbed their heads and hummed. "You are just doing this in preparation for later when we get known by the public, right?"

Uzumaki smiled tightly and nodded. Only Todoroki doesn't seem to believe her since his eyebrows knitted together into one thin line, almost like contemplating a deep mystery. Izuku pressed his lips together, hands fiddling together as his mind tried to piece up the knowledge of Uzushiokage.

"Uzumaki would be popular," Kaminari tilted his head. "She has got the mysterious vibe going on and she is insanely strong."

"So are Bakugou and Todoroki."

Uzumaki snorted. "Bakugou would have to work his ass off to become popular with people; no one likes to be saved by someone that screams and insults them while they are being saved."

Several heads nodded in agreement.

"What did you say, Whiskers!"

"I have to agree with Uzumaki," Kaminari laughed. "All of us have known each other for a short time, but you have already shown us that your personality is terrible."

"What did you say, Pikachu! How about I pound you?"

Kaminari blinked and scooted slightly closer to Iida as Kacchan waved his fist. The blond-haired boy stood up from his seat, red eyes blazing with fury at the taunt given to him by Kaminari. Uzumaki's lips twitched, blue eyes almost sparkled but slowly faded as a large smile took place. It was almost terrible because his classmate really did look better when she showed her real emotions.

Too bad it took Kacchan pointing out that Uzumaki kept sending her clones on certain days for him to spot the difference.

"Explosive Head, I didn't know you already developed feelings for Kaminari," Everyone blinked as Uzumaki tilted her head, eyebrows scrunched together and her head bobbed up and down. "I think you might need to slow down, Lover Boy."

"Whiskers!"

Uzumaki raised her eyebrow. "What? Everyone knows that underneath your threats is just a soft boy that just wants to come out and show his undying love for sweet Kaminari."

"I am going to fucking kill you, Whiskers!"

"Don't be embarrassed, Bakugou."

Laughter bounced off the walls of the bus as the students giggled at the antics of the two blonds. Izuku buried his face under his hands. How could Uzumaki be unfazed with teasing Bakugou like this? Was she insane? She had to be if she was continuing to agonize Bakugou. If Uzumaki acted like this then this bus ride was just going to be one long and loud bus ride.

He prayed Bakugou didn't end up killing Uzumaki.

* * *

Uzushiokage wasn't a name that could be associated with Heroes. A name like that meant that a shinobi decided to become a Hero after escaping from their village. It was the only explanation that Naruto could think of as she followed behind her classmates into USJ. But could a shinobi become a Hero? Could a Kage actually become a Hero after all the things they did?

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and stared down at her clean hands. Blood might not soak her hands but she still felt the urge to constantly clean it in warm water. Only ten people had been murdered by her hands yet this was her reaction. What would a Kage feel? A shinobi? She shook her head.

She regarded the room. USJ was a gigantic place, bigger than any building that Naruto had ever seen. Even though she dawfed in comparison to the building, she could make out several different zones. Each one of them represented a different zone of destruction. What would the warzone look like? Did they have one? They probably did. A pair of fingers poked her ribs. Blue eyes grew wide when Todoroki regarded her.

"You should focus on where you are going, Uzumaki."

Naruto bobbed as Aizawa swirled his head around, black eyes searching for someone. Her teacher fixated his eyes on a person wearing a spacesuit. Was this person an astronaunt? Weren't Heroes supposed to be teaching them? She scratched her neck and leaned closer to Todoroki. Out of everyone here, her friend wouldn't be annoyed with the question.

"Can astronauts also become Heroes?"

Todoroki raised his eyebrow. "In theory it is possible for anyone to get the hero license, but Thirteen isn't an astronaut turned Hero."

_Could have fooled me._ Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and leaned further away from her friend, blue eyes fixated at Aizawa. Her teacher knitted his eyebrow together, leaned forward to Thirteen and darted his eyes around the chatting students.

Naruto channeled her chakra into her ear, her white teeth nibbling her bottom lip as the students around her chatted about their expectations for the day.

"Thirteen," Aizawa swirled his head around as Thirteen took a step forward. "Where's All Might? I thought he was supposed to be meeting us."

"Well about that, Senpai…" Thirteen's voice held almost a nervous tone as he lifted three fingers. "All Might seemed to have reached his limit while on his way to work. He is currently taking a break in the break room."

Aizawa pinched his nose. "That man is not just the Symbol of Peace, he is also the symbol of irrationality."

Limit? What did they mean by limit? Naruto scrunched her eyebrows together, head tilted to the side as Thirteen began to make a speech about his Quirk. The students shuffled together, moving closer to the soft-spoken hero. Do Quirks have a time limit? But All Might could still be here even if his Quirk had a limit, couldn't he? Maybe she was overthinking things again.

"You need to focus on Thirteen's speech, Uzumaki." Todoroki regarded her, lips pressed into a thin line as the blond-haired girl bounced slightly on her spot. Blue eyes gazed at Aizawa.

Naruto tore her eyes away and stared at her mismatch friend. "It's too long and it's kinda boring."

"Are you still bothered about the knowledge about Uzushiokage?" Naruto tensed up at the mention of the Hero. She relaxed her body, forcing it to become like jelly and shook her head. Her friend regarded her, lips pressed to a thin line before stiffly nodding his head.

In that moment, the air pressure around them began to change. The lightness of the air seemed to grow thicker and thicker till a blanket of pressure wrapped around them. The bright sun rays seemed to dim as black mist appeared around them. Blue eyes darted to the windows, then to the door behind them before finally fixating at the lower staircase.

A dark portal materialized from underneath there. Aizawa must have noticed it too since he seemed to tense up as his black eyes focused on the center of the room. Blue eyes blew up as a man climbed out of the portal, face covered with…was that an actual hand? Naruto gulped down the bile forming around her throat.

"Huddle together and don't move!" Aizawa commanded, clicking his heels together and spurning around to the students. Most of her classmates froze, bodies trembling and eyes filled with so much fear at the sight in front of them. "Thirteen! Protect the students!"

More and more villains came out of the portal, each one uglier and more scarier than the next and the scene almost played like the horror movies that Naruto really tried her hardest not to see. Most of them looked like they could star in her nightmares. How did these people become Villains? Was it because of their appearance? Maybe. She flickered her eyes to her sweating classmates.

Her throat dried up when a monster came out of the portal, looking almost like it could tower over a truck.

"What's happening?" Kirishima demanded, lifting his eyes to shield them from the sunlight. His eyes squinted together. "Is this training pattern like the one we had to do in the entrance exam?"

"Don't move!" Aizawa barked. "Those are villains."

Naruto flickered her eyes to her classmates, lips pressed into a thin line as her hand fingered the custom kunai pocket in her pants. She took a step forward, blue eyes grew slightly wide as both Bakugou and Midoriya took a step forward. Their hands seemed to reach out, almost like they wanted to shield her.

She relaxed as they stood right next to her.

"How did they get here?" Izuku trembled slightly as Bakugou balled his hands into a tight fist.

"This is school property!" Yaoyorozu swirled her head around to Thirteen. "Sensei, aren't there security systems?"

Naruto pulled her hand away from the kunai pocket, her blue eyes still locked on the villains climbing out of the portal. "Every security system has a glitch."

Everyone swirled their heads at the blond-haired girl, eyes blowing wide at her words. The blond-haired girl squatted down, head tilted to the side and eyebrows scrunched together. "You just need to have one blind spot in the system; one weak area to take advantage when it comes to sneaking in. Once you find it then sneaking in would be a piece of cake."

Sneaking into the Hokage Tower to steal the forbidden scroll had been a piece of cake once Naruto recalled the weak points of the building.

"The system would have been alerted even then," Thirteen balled his gloved hands into a fist. "They must have someone who can short-circuit the system."

Black mist reformed around the main villain as Naruto brought her fingers together. She poked her tongue against her cheeks, blue eyes never leaving the main villain's eyes. That guy had to be the head poncho since the villains seemed to crowd around him. Black mist seemed to partially reform to a human shape near the main guy.

The mist guy lacked pupils so it was hard for Naruto to make out who he seemed to be staring at. Not that it matter because he seemed to be just behind the main guy, speaking volumes of who was the main guy.

"Eraserhead and Thirteen," The blackmist guy hummed. "According to the teachers' curriculum we received before, All Might-san was supposed to be here, and yet—"

His voice drowned out as Naruto stiffened. Those guys broke in yesterday during the chaos that was their lunch time. They probably had someone cause a distraction, snuck in and got the information they needed. It was either that or they had a spy like Kabuto. Her stomach turned at the thought, lips wobbling slightly as a pair of black eyes flashed before her eyes.

"Where is he?" The main villain asked. His voice was rough and disgust laced around his tone. Her hands steadied as those eyes swept across them. "We went through all of this trouble and brought so many of us here. You can't tell me All Might, the Symbol of Peace, isn't here."

The man tilted his head, murderous intent flooded the whole area and the students around her began to shake. They trembled with fear. None of them had ever faced killer's intent, not when all of them had been normal middle school students until just a week ago.

Naruto's hands reached out to the nearest student, who turned out to be Izuku, and slapped them hard on the head.

"W-What was that for, Uzumaki?" Izuku rubbed his head.

Naruto inhaled. "Because the only way to break through this kind of killer intent is to feel pain. Pain brings you back to reality. Now do the same for next person and spread it around."

She relaxed her fingers before smacking Bakugou on the head. At first glance, no one would think Bakugou was terrified but the slight tremor in his body hinted that he still felt some fear. She was about to pinch Todoroki, only for the boy to catch her hand and shake his head. Right. Todoroki was fine. Probably living with an asshole of a father could do that to a person.

Naruto gritted her teeth as Aizawa pulled down his goggles and whipped the ends of his neck cloth. His hair rose away from his face, not allowing anyone to see his eyes.

A creepy smile appeared on the Villain's face. "I wonder if All Might will show up if we kill the students."

Her body froze at the declaration, blue eyes growing completely blank as her classmates panicked. Aizawa flickered his eyes around them, barking at everyone to stay together and not to move away from the group. Naruto pinched herself, took a deep breaths and nibbled her lips. Could Aizawa-sensei really handle this many people?

He didn't really look like much but Aizawa-sensei seemed confident. It was not like she could leave, not when her classmates needed to be protected.

None of them had been through a life-and-death situations. Some of them had Quirks that needed to be fine tuning while others just didn't know how to fight. They might be training to be heroes, but they were civilians. Before she came to Japan, Naruto had been a kunoichi.

She was still a kunoichi, not a good one but it mattered now.

_Fight these assholes and show them who is the Head Bitch in Charge._

The air around them began to shift, moving away as a portal clouded around them. Her ears barely catch the polite way that the man mentioned his desire to kill All Might, asking them about the man's whereabouts. Naruto pressed her fingers together, channeled her chakra into her fingers as Bakugou leaned forward, fingers crackling with sparks.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Clouds of smoke appeared as hundreds of Naruto clones surrounded the area. Eyes grew wide as Naruto, her clones, Bakugou and Kirishima launched themselves at the mist. The black mist began to spread around the air. Do physical attacks work on this guy? Kirishima swirled his leg around into a hardened kick as Naruto aimed for the man's face, hands balled into a fist while blast of fire enclosed the man.

The explosion seemed to have scattered the mist man just a little bit.

"Bet you didn't think we'd be able to do that before you have the chance to attack us!" Kirishima pumped his fist in the air.

Naruto tensed up as anger leaked around the area. "Kirishima…I think we made things worse."

The mist guy was not affected by the attack. He just gathered his smoky bits to his body as his voice hummed, yellow eyes fixated on them. "That was quite dangerous," he declared. "This is to be expected. Even though all of you are just students, you are also the cream of the top for the next generation of heroes."

"It's no use!" Thirteen yelled, drawing the attention of the three students. He pointed his open fingertips at Kurogiri as if his fingers could do anything. "Run, you three!"

Naruto tensed up as black mist exploded all around them. Darkness slowly clouded her eyes and the sound seemed to be muffled as her classmates screamed out in fear. "**You will be scattered.**" Naruto tensed up as Todoroki seemed to reach out towards her. His mouth was forming something but she couldn't hear it, not with the smoke being stuffed in her ear. "**And you will be tortured."**

_You son of a bitch._ Naruto clenched her hands into a fist as she her hands punched through the empty air. Her punches slowed down when red eyes met her own. An emotion appeared in those red eyes, an emotion that Naruto never thought to see from her ever angry classmate. Concern and fear. She had to protect them with everything she got.

That was her last thought as the black mist clouded her vision.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. Tell me of your thoughts of the interactions that Naruto has with her classmates and Bakugou. What can be improved about this chapter?**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"_Where the hell am I?"_

Naruto rubbed her head as the darkness, clouding her vision, faded away. It seemed to be an uneven territory, almost reminding her of broken buildings. She nibbled her bottom lip as her hands trembled slightly at the sight of the various villains surrounding them. The numbers seemed to be greater than she thought, probably around fifteen people surrounding them.

She blinked when a pair of large hands stretched out towards her. Lifting her head up, Naruto sighed at the sight of a smiling Kirishima. Right next to the boy was Bakugou, whose hands were already crackling up with explosives and his whole body trembling with excitement. She inhaled deeply, placed her hand on Kirishima's stretched out hand and yanked herself up.

"Look at these brat students!" One of the villains sneered, eyes leaking with joy and his hand clutching a weapon so tightly to his chest. Naruto clicked her tongue, darted her eyes around and glanced at the two boys by her side.

"How the hell did we get here?" Kirishima demanded. His hands seemed to hardened, almost looking like a bunch of sharp rocks pressed together into one blade.

"Bastard scattered us," Bakugou reminded them. "Whiskers, don't make any of those shitty clones. There is fifteen of them, three of us; so do the math."

Naruto swirled her head, raised her eyebrows and almost smiled at the mad glint shining through Bakugou's red eyes. Explosive Head wanted to test himself, wanted to show off his skills and thought her clones would not give him the opportunity. She snorted. Bakugou was good when it came to fights and it would be a waste of chakra for her to waste it on these guys.

"Arrogant asshole," Naruto declared.

Bakugou snorted. "Call me whatever you want Whiskers but it would be a waste of your time to waste your Quirk like that. These small fries don't deserve to be graced by your clones!"

"Those wannabe Heroes are mocking us!" Another villain yelled.

"Get 'em!"

Like a bunch of lioness, the villains charged straight at them. Several of them flew straight towards her, arms swinging and eyes blazing with fury at the words spoken by her classmate. Naruto pinched her nose, ducking and dodging as multiple arms swung at her. She grabbed hold of the villain, twisting him around till his bone cracked into tiny pieces.

She tossed him like a bag to the wall, lips pressed into an innocent smile as the wall behind him cracked and tumbled into tiny pieces. It tumbled down, slamming into the villain's leg and the man screamed, his voice echoing throughout the whole area. Naruto flipped her head around, swung her leg around like a whirlpool and sent the next two villains flying through the air.

"Damn, remind me not to get on your bad side, Uzumaki!" Kirishima declared. Just behind him a villain approached, hands reaching out to grab him and Naruto charged straight at him. Her hands curled into a fist, coiled up and released the moment she was face to face with her classmate. Her fist smashed the man straight to the ground, causing the ground beneath them to rumble at the strength of the attack.

"We should focus on defeating these son of bitches and then you can talk about my abilities," Naruto leaned to the left, stuck out her leg and shook her head when the villain tripped over her leg. Kirishima laughed, shaking his head and swirled his body around, both hands now sharpening into sharp edges.

Explosives went off all around them as Bakugou smashed through the villains heading his way. Naruto flickered her eyes to her opponent and then to her grinning classmate. She grabbed hold of the Villain's arm, sprung around and swung him towards Bakugou.

The blond-haired boy held out his palm, crackles of explosives bubbling up before being released into one long shot aimed at the Villain's stomach. The villain slumped down, eyes closed and a whimper escaped from his lips. It was almost like she was in a team again. But a team where she could rely on all the members to pick themselves up and doesn't need someone to save their ass.

It wasn't long before the battle was over.

Naruto placed her hands on her hips, blue eyes flickering through the scattered unconscious bodies of the villains and then to her two classmates. Both boys panted, sweat build up around their foreheads as their bodies trembled with slight exhaustion of what just happened. For it being their first time battle, Naruto could honestly say they did better than expected.

She knelt down, head tilted to the side and blue eyes focused on the window. Where should they go now? Their other classmates might be scattered but if their opponents were as weak as these guys then they would be fine. If they had each other then it wouldn't be a problem. But Aizawa was another story entirely. The amount of hate leaking out of the main villain made Naruto want to throw out.

It terrified her about how similar his hate reminded her of the hate that used to decorate her eyes whenever Naruto caught her reflection in the mirror. If the Hokage never found her, never felt pity for her then her eyes would be just as bad as that man.

Because hate like that was not born from a happy childhood, it was born from abandonment. It was born from a world that rejected them for who they really were.

"Is this really all of them? These guys were weak," Bakugou sighed and dropped the last villain. Naruto swirled her head around, her hands hovering around her forehead and then she realized that her headband wasn't a part of her costume.

She didn't wear one anymore.

"Seems like it," Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Well that's good," Kirishima wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked out at the window, red eyes flashing with concern. "If we're here then everyone else must have been wrapped around the whole USJ. I am worried about the ones without many battle moves."

"I wouldn't be concern about that," Naruto flickered her eyes to the unconscious villains. "If they sent these villains after us then they will be fine. Since we were crowded around when it happened, everyone will at least have a partner to help them out."

She knew this but a pair of mismatch eyes flashed before her, the concern shone through them and Naruto had to wonder if Todoroki would be fine. He was strong, probably one of the strongest members of their class but what if he was by himself? Could he handle it? What if he was fighting someone with a stronger Quirk than his? He only ever used one side in their classes.

Naruto squished down the urge to go find her friend and helped him. If Bakugou and Kirishima could handle it then Todoroki could as well. There was no need for her to worry.

'_For the same reason that you spilled your milk in the canteen.'_

Her lips wobbled again. Stupid Todoroki for making her feel like this and Kirishima was really a pain in the neck for reminding her about the fact that they were scattered out. She took a deep breath, balled her hands into a fist as her eyes flickered to the window. The plan to stop caring about people seemed to be thrown out of the window.

'_Are you okay, Uzumaki?'_

'_We were worried sick for you!'_

Her throat burned as the cracks around her began to become larger. Why now? Why was her brain pulling out those memories? Her classmates were going to be fine. They were strong. Everything was going to be fine and so what if they showed their concern once? It didn't matter. Naruto shook her head. None of it mattered, because bonds couldn't be build that instantly.

"…we all rushed forward and left Thirteen-sensei to play guard when they are better suited against the villain," Kirishima declared. "If Sensei had been able to suck up that mist then we wouldn't be in this mess! As men, we have to take responsibility."

"If you wanna go then go!" Bakugou balled his hands into a fist. "I'm gonna go murder that wrapguy."

Naruto swirled her head around. "You realized that got us into this mess? Our attacks didn't work! My clones weren't even able to land a hit on him!"

Bakugou scowled. "You think I don't know Whiskers? I don't give a shit! He's their ticket out of this place and if things goes to hell then I will pin his ass to the ground. Get him then none of them would escape."

Naruto nibbled her bottom lip, released her hair from her braid and looked down on the cracked ground. What could they do to stop him? Guy didn't have a physical body so physical attacks seemed to be no good. She scratched her head. There had to be a weak point for them to take advantage of. God, how did someone fight an opponent without a physical body?

"He assigned us these weak villains so everything is going to be fine like Whiskers said," Bakugou grabbed hold of the attacker, who had been silently approaching them with a knife, and caused an explosion in his palms. "So we don't need to worry about them."

"Y'know I am surprised that you're so calm," Kirishima tilted his head. "Usually you are always saying something like Die! Die!"

"I'M ALWAYS CALM, SHITTY HAIR!" Bakugou flipped his middle finger to the laughing boy while Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line. Everything made sense but her stomach felt queasy and something felt really off. The guy might be their ticket but that other guy had been filled with so much hatred. Aizawa was there without any backup.

This wasn't good.

"You guys go ahead to attack Mist Guy," Naruto took a deep breath. "I will help Aizawa-sensei."

Bakugou swirled his head at her. "Are you fucking insane, Whiskers? We might be good in this but we are still novice! You go there and you are going to get yourself fucking killed. That guy doesn't look anything like those small-fries!"

"Bakugou is right!" Kirishima trembled. "Did you see him? He looked like something out of a horror movie!"

Naruto hesitated and stared at the scowling face of Bakugou before looking at the concern eyes of Kirishima. Her throat burned at the level of concern they showed her. Did they actually care for her? Did they really feel worried for her safety? Until she came to Yuuei High, she thought no one would care about her. She still clung to that belief, but her little escapade and this little attempt…

It almost made her eyes teared up.

"Aizawa-sensei needs help and I am confident that I can help him," Naruto declared with a smile playing on her lips.

Kirishima raised his eyebrows. "How can you be so confident? Aren't you terrified?"

'_Are you hurt, Scardy-Cat?'_

Naruto hardened her eyes, balled her hands into a fist and focused on the unconscious bodies lying all around them. "Because acting like a scardy-cat won't get me anywhere. It won't make me cool and it definitely won't fix our problems."

A pair of teasing eyes flashed before her eyes as the words of her childhood echoed in her ear. Her throat burned from the memory and she hated how much her strange friendship with Sasuke dictate her actions. He ruined everything she knew about bonds. He stopped being her friend when his family had been murdered, yet defended her when Sakura acted like a bitch.

Naruto hated how no matter how much she tried to deny it, her childhood still imprisoned her.

Even though it had been three years, it still influenced her actions.

* * *

'_Do you have anyone precious in your life, Naruto-chan?'_

Naruto sprinted, hands pressed against her pockets as Kirishima and Bakugou yelled at her to slow down. Three years ago, Haku asked her this question in a forest when she didn't know him. At the time, there had only been four people to come to her mind: Iruka, Hinata, the Third Hokage and Sasuke. The question played in her mind, always there and constantly giving her hope of how she could become stronger but then…the Valley Of The End happened.

She tried so hard to forget those words and the importance of precious people. Building bonds hurt so much because people betrayed you. No matter how many times you trusted them, they always find a way to hurt you so badly. Naruto really thought she could stop trusting people, really thought she could stop letting people in…but Aizawa-sensei hadn't betrayed her.

'_I also know that you are a good kid…'_

She murdered so many people and yet Aizawa-sensei believed in her.

'_Are __**you**__ really fine?'_

Aizawa-sensei cared for her even though she acted like a brat. She saw the medicine he left for her after her stunt, not many people would do that. Even though she broke the rules, acted like a punk at times and lied…the man still cared for her.

'_Because you deserve to have someone care for you.'_

The man didn't even know her at the time but said the words that Naruto always longed to hear. Did Zabuza say those words to Haku? Was that why the boy had been so loyal to him? Because the knowledge that someone really did care for you was enough to make you have a blind loyalty to them. Her eyes teared up. If this was the case then she understood now.

'_A person can be strong when they have someone precious to protect.'_

Her classmates were precious to her, little diamonds she needed to protect. She never wanted to trust them and her trust for them had only grown slightly, but they got under her skin. Constantly worrying about her. Constantly asking about her and showing their concern for her. They reminded her that Naruto hated being alone.

Naruto always wanted someone to care for her.

She loved people, being around them and socializing with them. Today had been the first time in a long time that Naruto let down her guard, teasing Bakugou like there was no tomorrow. She loved her classmates. She liked Todoroki too. Her friend found a way to dig himself into her heart, not caring one bit that she had been acting like a complete bitch to him at times.

Maybe after today, she would try harder to open up to them.

Naruto stopped running when she reached the central plaza of USJ. Her blue eyes was not focus on the mist man, who seemed to be more mist than man, nor was it on her terrified classmates. No, her eyes was fixated at the central plaza. That large monstrous villain from before had his hands around Aizawa-sensei.

Naruto felt her throat burned.

Blood leaked out of her teacher's eyes, dripping down his face and his normal black eyes shone a shade of furious red. Her fingers twitched and rage began to bubble inside her stomach. The monster dunk her teacher on the water as the boss placed his fingers around her teacher's arm, slowly tearing apart the skin to reveal the pink muscles of her teacher.

Her throat tightened when her teacher coughed out blood.

'_Because I am worried for you.'_

It took three years for Iruka-sensei to worry for her, but it took Aizawa-sensei less than a week to be concerned for her. To vocalized his feelings towards her. No one had ever done it that quickly before.

Her teacher coughed out more blood.

'_Are __**you **__really fine?"_

No one ever wanted to know her real answer, but Aizawa-sensei seemed to constantly want to know the real answer to the question. Red chakra began leaking out of her body as Naruto trembled at the sight before her. Tears leaked out of her eyes like it did in the Wave Mission, when Sasuke threw his body in front of her. But at that time Sasuke apologized to her for not being a better friend.

Tears leaked out because Aizawa-sensei always seemed to want her to drop her guard.

'_A teacher that doesn't care, wouldn't confront you about the use of your clones.'_

Most of the teachers she knew, didn't care about her. They always accussed her of lying, refused to acknowledge her brains and forced her to act more like an idiot than be her real self. If she knew about the shadow clone in the Academy then none of her teachers would have confronted about her use. Maybe Iruka-sensei.

But not in the first year of getting to know her.

"_Because you deserve to have someone care for you."_

The whisker marks on Naruto's face darkened, her fingernails sharpened and her canine teeth elongated as the red chakra enclapsed her. The more and more those memories played, the more Naruto could feel hate building up. She launched herself at the Nomu, smashing it against the wall and then punching the man that had been slowly decaying her teacher.

Blue eyes turned to a deep shade of red as her pupils stilted.

"**I am never going to forgive you for hurting my precious teacher,"** the villain's eyes grew large with fear as Naruto hunched down in all four. All sanity lost as rage consumed her. **"I am going to fucking kill you for hurting my precious person; All Might will be the last person you would ever think about."**

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**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter as well as everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows.**

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_**Those bastards are going to pay for hurting Aizawa-sensei.**_

_**They are going to die for putting my classmates through hell.**_

Naruto growled and snarled as the Nomu pushed itself up, its body slightly trembling from the impact. The scratches, which formed from hitting the hard rocks, seemed to be fading away quickly. She gripped the ground, eyes stilting as Aizawa groaned, head barely looking up. She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around the monster's large arm and smashed him down the ground.

The ground cracked, shattering like tiny pieces of a puzzle as the boss gulped. His whole body trembled as his eyes fixated on the red cloak of energy surrounding Naruto. He gulped, shivering as red, _monsterous,_ eyes turned towards him.

Just like a panther, Naruto lunged at the shivering villain. Her fingers stretched out to scratch him, only for the Nomu to slam her against the wall. Naruto spat out blood, head spinning around like she was in a roller coaster, as the huge villain yanked her leg. The rusty taste of the blood almost snapped the girl out of her rage-fulled mindset.

He smashed her to the either sides of him like she weighed nothing, like she was a swatter for him to swat flies. Her head pounded and blood seeped out her forehead, dribbling down to the side of her head. Naruto growled, placing her slender arms around the hand and yanked herself out of the monster's grip. She slammed her head against the Nomu, lips curled into a snarl. The monster screamed out, hands curled into a fist before punching her in the stomach.

All the air in her lungs was knocked out as more blood spitted out of her mouth, decorating the ground again. Pain erupted from her stomach, almost making her want to grip out and scream out of pain. But the broken form of her teacher, the fear leaking out of her fellow students and her own rage brought her the strength to stand up.

"Uzumaki!"

"Uzumaki! Run! Don't keep doing this! Help is on the way!"

Naruto rubbed her bloodied lips, body shaking as her teacher forced himself up. Blood still flowed down his face but not as heavily as before, but several scratches decorated his face.

"You don't need to continue fighting." Her teacher coughed and gasped. "If you continue like this then you will die! Just run!"

Did it matter if she dies? Her parents died before she could even remember them. The only grandfather-figure she had, was murdered by his student, by the man who stole her brother-figure from her. Nothing really connected her to the world, so who cared? The least Naruto could do was protect him, protect her classmates. They had been too good to her.

The monster pierced his arm against her stomach, blood soaking its arm as Naruto spurted out more blood from her mouth. He twisted her body around, crashing her down to the ground and pushed her to look to the side. Midoriya, Mineta and Asui stared at her with fear and tears flowing down their eyes. Or rather more like, Asui and Mineta while Midoriya fixated his eyes to her wounds.

Blood dribbled down the sides of her face, decorating Naruto like one of those murdered victims found in a haunted house. The bruises decorating her body faded as if it was a gust of wind. If it weren't for the blood coming out of the girl's body, no one would think that Naruto was being mauled.

The villain yanked his hand out of her stomach as the blue-haired villain smirked, looking at the wound like a birthday present that came early. Naruto grabbed the arm, curled her hands into a fist and smashed it against his stomach. Air pushed against her hair as the monster soared away from her.

The glass windows of USJ shattered as the monster flew out of the arena, fading away like a falling star as its wails echoed throughout the whole building.

Her legs trembled, blood stained her orange kimono dress as Naruto strided to the blue-haired man. The part of her stomach, where there should be flesh seemed to be torn apart like pieces of paper, and the world around Naruto seemed to be in a constant state of spinning around.

"W-What the hell are you?" The villain screamed, pushing himself back. "How can you still walk!"

The red chakra that had been cloaking Naruto diminished as the girl dragged her legs towards him. Her right hand wrapped around her stomach, drenched from her wounds as her red eyes reverted back to its original bright blue eyes.

"Because you fucking threatened to kill my comrades and teacher," she steadied her shaking body and mustered all of her anger into one single glare. Blue eyes darted to her teacher and then to her wide-eyed classmates. "You think I will let a little wound like this stop me from protecting them? You think you can terrify me or use a monster to hurt me? I fought monsters stronger than one you sent and bastard, I _**survived.**_"

She always had some form of luck by her side, but no one needed to know that.

All humor faded from her smile. "And now you are next!"

She dropped her hand from her wound, chanelled her chakra into her legs and arms before lunging for the blue-haired man. Black mist erupted around the head villain, hiding away from her view as the misty man, from earlier, appeared. A portal materialized from behind them as the mist man grabbed his boss, pushing him into the portal before disappearing himself.

Good, she doesn't need to buff anymore.

Blackness clouded her vision as Naruto crashed on the ground. Screams could be heard as a pair of arms grabbed her. Pain surrounded her whole body, a reminder that even if she used the Kyuubi's energy that she was never going to become immune to pain.

It wouldn't be wrong for her to close her eyes, right?

Her classmates were safe and so was Aizawa. It would be perfectly reasonable for her to close her eyes just for a short time. She just needed to close her eyes for just ten minutes.

Just ten minutes.

* * *

What the hell was Uzumaki thinking? Shouto grabbed hold of Uzumaki's collapsed body as Midoriya, Mineta and Asui rushed towards them. She continued to fight even though there was a huge gashing wound surrounding her stomach. Did she have a death wish? He grinded his teeth together, breathing in and out to calm his emotions.

The other students dashed towards the center, half of them splitting to crowd around Aizawa and the other half charging straight towards him and Uzumaki. They hovered around with some of the students squirmed, eyes looking everywhere but the wound on Uzumaki's stomach. Shouto stared at the wounds, skimming past the minor wounds that seemed to be healing quickly and just focused on her stomach and face.

"Uzumaki!"

"Has she been fighting like this the whole time? How could she move with those wounds?"

"She has got a hole in her stomach!"

Blood coated Uzumakai's sunkissed hair, bruises decorated her face and despite the wounds his friend looked relaxed, like all of her stress was gone. He sighed, closing his eyes and darted his eyes to his various classmates. Bakugou balled his hands, jaw clenched while Kirishima rubbed his teary eyes. Ashido covered her mouth as Yaoyorozu's lips wobbled.

"I AM HERE!"

All Might crashed through the windows, eyes blazing with fury and the fury faded at the sight of the crowded students. He rushed towards them, horror shone through his eyes as the students parted into two lines. The hero loomed over Todoroki, eyes growing larger and larger as his blue turned icy cold.

"What happened to Young Uzumaki?" Their teacher whipped his head around, looking at the various unconscious villains scattered around the center.

Midoriya balled his hands into a fist. "Uzumaki became furious when she saw Aizawa-senei got injured. She went on a rampage and—"

"—Charged right in to destroy the villains that put Aizawa-sensei in this condition," Shouto straightened his back and kept his tone calm. "She sent the large villain flying out of the window, but the bastard tore through her stomach."

Even though Uzumaki had been hurt, she still smiled like there was nothing wrong with the world. How could she smile? Shouto steadied his arms, eyes focused on the whisker marks and the small smile playing on his friend's face. He brought her closer to his right side, decreasing his body temperature slightly. The girl shivered but the bleeding seemed to be slowing down, no longer like a stream but more like molten lava.

He flickered his eyes to the shattered glass window, hands trembling as his mismatch eyes focused on the bleeding wound around Uzumaki's stomach. They needed to get her to the hospital. How could she think fighting in her condition was a good idea? He took a deep breath, hand covering her stomach as Midoriya continued to explain what happened to All Might.

Shouto looked up, mismatch eyes growing wide at the sight of the growing rage pouring out of All Might's eyes. The hero clenched and unclenched his hands, eyes flickering to Aizawa's body. Their teacher must have collapsed during the attack since he wasn't by their sides, scolding Uzumaki for her reckless behavior.

Why would she do this to herself?

'_When a person has someone that they truly want to protect then they can become strong.'_

Aizawa-sensei was always trying to help Uzumaki out and it would be fair to think Uzumaki grew to care for their teacher. Shouto took several deep breaths, nodding while Asui knelt down, her hand placed on top of his shoulder. He blinked as blank eyes took in the huge wound on Uzumaki's wound, her lips pressed into one thin line.

"We need to make a stretcher and it won't be helpful for her if you still hug her like that, Todoroki." Shouto blinked and knitted his eyebrows at the sight of his arms cradling his friend. Asui regarded him, eyes flickering between him and Uzumaki like understanding why he seemed intent to cradle her. He didn't even know why his body did that.

He just know he didn't want her to crash down on the ground.

"Could you make two stretchers, Todoroki? We need one for Aizawa-sensei." Asui flickered her eyes to the wound on Uzumaki's stomach, bobbing her head like she realized something important. "And some ice too? Her bleeding might be slowing down because of your left side but we can't take any risks when we put her on the stretcher."

Shouto nodded, unwrapping his arms from the shorter girl and entrusted his unconscious friend to his classmate. The frog-like girl offered the tiniest glimpse of a smile before cradling the girl against her chest as if knowing just how much his friend needed gentleness.

He reached out his right hand, freezing the moisture around the air till a stretcher was formed. He swirled the water above his hand, freezing it till balls of ice formed before handing it to Asui. The girl pressed it against the wound before handing Uzumaki back to him.

_She is kind of light. _Shouto wrapped one arm around Uzumaki's head and the other around her legs, before putting her on the stretcher like how his mother used to put him in bed. No experience was needed to know that you don't suddenly drop an injured person onto a stretcher.

"I will help make it lighter," Uraraka declared. Shouto nodded, dropping his head down as his classmate carried the other end of the stretcher. The girl trembled, clearing her throat as tears leaked out of her eyes. "She is going to be fine, Todoroki."

'_You wanna piss off your Dad? Well, I know what to do."_

Blue eyes twinkled with mischief and Shouto gulped down the lump formed around his throat. He didn't know who Uraraka was trying to reassure: him? Or herself? Because how could Uzumaki be fine with the amount of damage that she took? The bleeding might have slowed down but it didn't mean she wasn't out of critical condition yet. He inhaled as bile rose up his throat.

"_I can be unpredictable!"_

Bright blue flashed with annoyance as pink lips curled into a pout. It was a far cry from the bleeding girl sleeping on the stretcher. Shouto clenched his jaw and forced his head to bob, mismatch eyes focused on the entrance as their classmates parted away from them. Uzumaki had to live. He tightened his grip on the handle. His friend needed to get better because it was unforgivable for her to do this.

'_Todoroki __and I are only friends."_

Teasing, mischievous eyes flashed before his eyes as he twisted his head to see his bleeding friend. Shouto shivered, throat tightening as Uraraka's brown eyes pierced through him as understanding flashed through her eyes. Uzumaki had to be fine because if anything happened to her, then it would be his fault.

Shouto exhaled, his breaths becoming shorter and quicker as they got closer to the entrance. Several heroes ran passed them, slowing down at the sight of the injured girl on the stretcher. A few of them were saying things, but it seemed muffled. Or maybe he was drowning their words out like he did with his father. Shouto wasn't certain.

He was only certain of one thing and that was the fact that this all happened, because he got close to her. His mother always got hurt because she interfered with his training and the next person closest to him, got injured. Shouto had to have a curse on himself for every person close to him, getting hurt like this.

No, maybe everything would have been different if he just reached there on time, just a few more minutes earlier and didn't try to search for her through some of the zones. He gritted his teeth. This was his fault for not grabbing her hand before darkness surrounded them.

If he just grabbed her hand and made sure to stick by her side, then maybe this could have been prevented.

His friend wouldn't be near death's doors if he had just been quicker to catch her hands, because at least he would have been by her side. Shouto tightened his grip on the handle, shoulders slightly trembling as they walked passed the USJ main entrance and into the light.

He couldn't lose his first friend.

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**A/N: What do you think of the relationship of Naruto and Todoroki in this story? Is the pace better? Or do you think that I should slow it down.**


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N: I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as reviews for the last chapter. I am glad that the pace of the story is better than the original story._

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_Why am I in Konoha's hospital?_

Naruto curled her lips into a frown and flickered her eyes around the hospital room. The room looked familiar too, almost like the same room she stayed in after her battle with Sasuke. But she left Konoha when she was thirteen. So why was she here again? She should be inside her small apartment in Japan. Not in a cold hospital room, where her only company were a bunch of orange lilies and a young blond-haired girl, who stared at the wall like a dead person. Her hand clutched her chest, tracing it in a pattern that looked almost like the chidori scar Naruto had on her chest.

Tilting her head, Naruto glided over and blue eyes grew wide at the sight of herself staring back at her. Where was she? Was this a dream? Or a memory? If it was a dream then she could grab control of it, right? She nodded, raised her hand and slapped her younger self on the face…only for her hand to go through it.

What the hell was happening?

The door to her hospital room slid opened and Hinata stepped through, her hands wrapped around a pair of orange lilies. When did Hinata-chan visit her? Did Hinata-chan visit her in the hospital? Naruto nibbled her lips as Hinata sniffed and rubbed her eyes. Did Kiba act like an inconsiderate asshole again? She reached out to hug her best friend, only to stumble as Hinata walked through her.

The blue-haired girl took a deep breath, removed the orange lilies from the vase and replaced new ones. "_The boys are getting better, Naruto-chan. Neji-niisan's surgery was a success and Kiba-kun is almost ready to be discharged. I told Kiba-kun since he is better now that he can come visit you with me…but he refused. He still feels guilty for what happened."_

Her dream self doesn't smile, doesn't even puff her chest and calls Kiba a whimp. She just stared blankly at the wall like nothing seemed to matter. This had to be a dream. If something like this happened then it would be in her memory. She bobbed her head. This didn't happen because Dog Breath never felt guilty. If he felt guilty then he would have visited her. Yup, this never happened.

Hinata frowned, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "_Are you really not going to answer me, Naruto-chan? You won't even talk to me. Please just say something to me, Naruto-chan!"_

Her dream-self clutched her chest even harder and gazed at Hinata. Blue eyes shone with so much grief that Naruto itched to slap her out of it. Hinata-chan was going to cry and the girl lying on the bed wasn't even trying to reassure her that she was fine. Naruto grinded her teeth, launched herself again at her twelve-year-old self but only to crash against the wall.

"_I don't even want you to talk, Naruto-chan!"_ Tears began leaking out of Hinata's eyes and pain erupted from Naruto's heart at the sight. Her fingers reached out to wipe the tears, to hug her but she brought her hands down. Right, this was a dream. "_Do something! Cry! Just let me know that you are listening to me.'_

Hinata never cried. Not when her father acted like an asshole and not when Neji kept putting her down, her best friend always kept her composure. But this was not the Hinata that Naruto loves and knows. Hinata was crying, snot dribbled down her nose as she hugged her against her chest.

Hinata was stronger than this.

'_You are stronger than this, Naruto!'_ Hinata hiccupped and looked around the room while her dream self just didn't respond to these accusation. '_This isn't you.'_

"That isn't me, Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled. She swirled her head at her dream self. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Hinata-chan is crying and demanding for you to get back up on your feet. No way in fucking hell did this happen."

Hinata was right because Naruto always picked herself back up. But she didn't exactly pick herself back up when Sasuke shoved the chidori up her chest, did she? She knows it wasn't the best time. Sometime during the battle, her heart broke into a million pieces. She chewed on her bottom lip. Was it possible that this happened? No. She gritted her teeth. She picked herself back up after the incident.

This was just a dream.

"_He isn't worth this, Naruto-chan."_ Naruto balled her hands into a fist as her dream self (no way in hell that was her) burrowed herself deeper into the bed. "_I know you and Sasuke-kun have always been the best of friends, even if the two of you have your rough patches, but he isn't worth it. Sasuke-kun hasn't been a proper friend to you since his clan got murdered."_

Yeah, Sasuke had been an ass since Itachi murdered his parents, cousins and various clansmember, but he was always special. Tears leaked down Naruto's eyes and she gritted her teeth, rubbing her eyes furiously. Before Hinata-chan, Sasuke had been the first kid to acknowledge her. He played with her, brought her to his house and promised to be her best friend forever.

"You are right," it was pointless to tell Hinata but it wouldn't hurt for her to tell Hinata why it hurt so badly. "The Sasuke that I fought in the Valley Of The End isn't worth this, but don't you remember Hinata-chan? The Sasuke that always gave advice to us even if it was obvious I was better than him?"

Her heart became heavier as her younger self rolled away from her.

"The boy that always even in his own subtle way defended us," she shook her head. "I might have been jealous of the bastard but he always had a good heart. My brother didn't try to kill me. It is Orochimaru's curse mark that caused him to do this. The bastard I knew would never break his promise to me, to us."

Oh.

That was why it hurt so much after the Valley Of The End because Sasuke tried to break his promise to her. Maybe this was where all her trust issues with friends began. It started when Sasuke wanted to break the promise of being the best of friends for the rest of their lives.

The world around her faded to black as Hinata continued to plead for her to respond.

* * *

_I don't remember this happening._

Naruto folded against her chest, sat down on the ground as Jiraiya took the empty seat right beside her bed while Tsunade grimaced at the sight of her sleeping self. The usual goofy smile that her teacher had seemed to be gone, replaced with a serious and concerned look that made Naruto's throat tightened. This definitely didn't happen.

"_Are you sure that Naruto wasn't in love with Sasuke?"_ Naruto pulled an expression, bile rising up her throat as Jiraiya shook his head. She pressed her lips into a frown as her dream-self fluttered her eyes, flickering at the two Sannin. _"Are you really sure, Jiraiya? She is acting like a heart-broken girlfriend. Not even their teammate was acting like this and I saw how Sasuke was with his other teammate."_

"Listen to me, you Old Hag! Sasuke and I are only friends!" Naruto grinded her teeth and raised her middle finger at the woman. Why did everyone think like this? Couldn't someone be this upset if this was their friend? But even she had to admit that she looked kind of pathetic. God, Sakura was even handing things better and her teammate was in love with Sasuke.

"_From what I understand from Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke are childhood friends."_ Naruto bobbed her head as her dream self rolled to the side, ears perking up as Tsunade raised her eyebrows. "_For both Naruto and Sasuke, they are each other's first friends. For someone like Naruto, Sasuke is her first proper bond after __**the incident.**__"_

"What incident?" Naruto rushed forward to grab the man, only to groan when her hands went through him. Tsunade grimaced, lips pressed into a thin line as her hand combed through her tangled hair. Blue eyes widened at the almost tender look being directed at her. Since when did Tsunade look at her like this? She nibbled her bottom lip.

"_When all the other kids ignored her, Sasuke acknowledged her."_ Naruto closed her eyes and took several deep breaths as Jiraiya focused his attention on her bright blond hair. _"It is strange but Naruto isn't a normal kid."_

Tsunade frowned. "_Even if they are friends, this is just too much. This isn't healthy for her, not just as a kunoichi but as a person! I thought my grandfather was bad but Naruto is even worse than him."_

Jiraiya took a deep breath, lips pressed into a thin line and black eyes looked almost pained. Why was he in pain? She should be the one complaining and whimpering about how crappy things were. If she was fine then Ero-Sennin shouldn't act like this. Honestly, how did she get out of this suffocating place? She pinched herself, only to frown when the scenery didn't change.

Great, just great.

"_I know,"_ Jiraiya nodded. "_That's why I am considering just taking her out of Konoha and have her train under me. Maybe a few years of travelling would do her some good."_

This never happened.

Jiraiya never offered to take her out of Konoha. Her mind must be playing tricks again because her teacher would never say anything like this. She curled her lips into a frown. But the man did bring her to Japan. He didn't even make any comment to convince her to stay in the Elemental Countries, or tell her that she had been imagining things. He looked just as considerate as the dream Jiraiya standing before her.

Tsunade grimaced. "_After what you told them about the Akatsuki and their plans for the jinchuuriki, the council has been insisting that Naruto has guards placed around her and all her missions are conducted inside the village. They want to keep an eye on her and will insist that you train her here, especially with her mental state."_

"_I can't train her in Konoha,"_ Jiraiya picked up an orange lily from the vase and twirled it around. His black eyes focused on her dream self. "_There is my spy network to consider and staying in Konoha won't help her in any way, not when this place is filled with memories of her friend."_

That wasn't the reason Naruto wanted to leave. She balled her hands into a fist, lips pressed into a thin line and swirled her head at her wide-awake dream self. Why wasn't she denying it? Just staring at the stupid wall like it had the answers. She should be arguing about how Sasuke didn't affect her one bit. Not acting like some stupid zombie in the movie.

She should be damn grateful that the dream Ero-Sennin cared enough for her, because Naruto knew damn well that the real Jiraiya would never do this.

Tsunade pressed her lips into a thin line. "_Then what if I 'exile' her,"_ the woman put air quotes and a a sense of dread build in Naruto's stomach as her lips trembled. The word exile had popped up before. Tsunade used that word instead of banishment. Even now her heart ached because what did she do to deserve it? "_You get to train her without having too many problems from the council and you can protect her from the Akatsuki."_

Jiraiya frowned. "_Naruto won't think like that and the council won't believe it."_

"_What choice do I have? I might be Hokage but the council are always blocking off my ideas and plans for the future especially when it concerns Naruto,"_ Tsunade growled and balled her hands into a fist. "_They won't give her missions outside the village, so this is the best option we have. __This is the only way we can protect her and make sure that she doesn't do anything reckless like chase him, since the only authority I have is on exile and missions."_

No, this couldn't have happened.

Naruto would remember if the old hag didn't intentionally mean those words. Because then it would mean the Old Hag cared. She shook her head. Her mind had to be imagining things. The Old Hag would never actually exiled her for her own protection, just so that Ero-Sennin could train her. Nope, this had to be a lie. She clenched her jaw as a lump formed around her throat.

"_Exile?"_ Her dream-self whispered. _"But I was trying to bring him back. I don't deserve to be exiled."_

God.

Oh God.

Horror washed over her as her younger self's blue eyes hollowed, looking so lifeless that it hurt. The way her eyes seemed broken reminded her of the first morning that Naruto saw herself in the mirror in the inn near Konoha. The pieces of a puzzle began to piece together as her whole body trembled at her actions. She wanted a hug. She needed some reassurance that everything was going to be fine.

Because this wasn't a dream. This was her own god-damn memory being played because those had been the words she uttered when she decided that enough was enough. It meant that what happened with Hinata was true.

No.

She couldn't be that pathetic.

There was no fucking way that she disregarded her best friend's pleas and acted like an absolute bitch. Even though her self-imposed title was Head Bitch In Charge, not once did Naruto act like one to Hinata. Her heart ached and she crashed onto the ground, hands and body rocking back and forth at the realization.

"This whole time I thought that the Old Hag exiled me because I failed in my job," she gulped down a lump. "But she was trying to protect me from the Akatsuki and wanted Ero-Sennin to train me. She wanted to protect me from myself. Hinata really did cry. Oh god. Oh god. I am a shitty person."

She took a deep breath and steadied herself. Not the time to panic. Right now she needed to see and hear what her past-self was ignoring, because she needed answers. Answers that only her memories could give her, because if she can't trust her own memory then what could she trust?

Did she even know what trust was?

Everything seemed to be crashing down and Naruto just wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

"_How long is her 'self-imposed' exile?"_ Jiraiya questioned. "_You need to word things carefully, Tsunade before you order it. One wrong move and everything will blow up for her. If she has a time-limit then she can be safe from the ANBU for a while. You can't hunt someone that you exiled personally."_

Naruto trembled as Jiraiya flickered his eyes to the frog purse that Konohamaru's father bought for her on her sixth birthday. Could you cry inside your own memory? It seemed like it. She rubbed her eyes. This whole time, they had been thinking about her and were on her side.

They had never hated her.

" _If you don't put a time-limit then the ANBU will hunt her down if there is no chance for her to come back," _Jiraiya rubbed his chin and sighed._ "The council will also want someone to keep a watch on her to make sure that she doesn't spill any secrets or deflect to another village."_

Tsunade pressed her lips into a thin line. "_I will assign you and Monkey for this task. No one would question the motives if I used an ANBU commander."_

"_Danzo might question it."_ Jiraiya pressed his lips into a line. "_Considering who Monkey's father is, they might think that you have other motives and Danzo will play with it. He might demand to put his own guard in there."_

The Slug Sannin sighed. "_He is a snake, but Monkey hasn't made any contact with Naruto since she was a little girl. No one would think that the man is partial to her; the man barely sees his own son, so no one would question it."_

"_Monkey is like his father."_ Jiraiya commented. _"It is a wonder that he didn't rebel like his brother did."_

"_He had Minato as a voice of reason."_

Jiraiya chuckled but the black eyes looked pain. Minato? Blue eyes widened. Oh right, Ero-Sennin was the teacher of the Fourth Hokage. She curled her lips into a frown. How could Ero-Sennin train someone as great as the Fourth? But give her crappy jutsu to learn and make her focus on her chakra control. She shook her head as Tsunade blinked, swirling her head at Jiraiya.

"_But how long do you think you need to train her?" _Tsunade demanded. "_The exile can't be too long or else the council will start demanding to know why don't I just banish her."_

"_Six years_."

Tsunade frowned. "_Six years? That's a long time."_

"_It is long enough that Naruto finally matures emotionally and handle her battles with more care," _Jiraiya sighed. "_The girl is smart, unpredictable and a beast if you think about it, but it goes away when her emotions comes to play. That girl reminds me—"_

The words muffled as the world around her turned dark but it didn't matter to Naruto.

All she know was that she needed to contact Jiraiya and apologized to him because he did care. Tsunade cared too and maybe she should have never been so hasty with jumping to conclusions of what happened. She laughed. But it was just like her to jump to conclusions.

To judge people without getting to know them and that wasn't right.

Her classmates and memories were proof of just how wrong she could be.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the changes being made from the original story? And what could be improved? Thank you for reading this chapter.**


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N: **__ I want to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter and everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter._

* * *

It has been a whole day since the USJ attack and all the students from Class 1A sat on the waiting room. Izuku nibbled his bottom lip, eyes focused on the bright green light of the operating sign as Uraraka tapped her feet impatiently. Iida paced back and forth, eyes darting around the door, while Kaminari chewed on his nails. Yaoyorozu fiddled with the magazine as Jirou sweated.

Only Todoroki looked calm, leaning against the wall and eyes plastered on the light of the operation. But his hands kept clenching and unclenching as the ticking sound of the clock grew louder and louder as each second passed. The temperature of the waiting room also seemed to be dropping to the point that Izuku's teeth was shivering.

"Are the waiting rooms supposed to be this cold?" Mineta rubbed his arm.

Everyone ignored the question, only glancing at Todoroki. The mismatch boy only fixated his eyes at the glowing green lights of the operating sign. It would have been strange if the boy wasn't worried, out of everyone in their class; only Uzumaki was really close to him. Izuku shook his head as Kaminari jumped up from his seat.

"Is Uzumaki going to live? Why are they taking so long to operate?" Kaminari clenched his hands into a fist. "Is this normal?"

"How the hell is Uzumaki going to be okay? The villain tore through her stomach!" Mineta gulped and chewed on his nails. Everyone winced, lips pressed into a thin line. The temperature in the room dropped again and the students rubbed their arms again. "It will be a miracle if she lives."

"Don't talk like that!" Ashido yelled.

"He is right," Jirou closed her eyes and gulped. "Aizawa-sensei couldn't defeat the villain and he got destroyed. Uzumaki might have defeated that monster but that thing tore her stomach through, bruised her and I don't really understand why Uzumaki went for it. She did know that she could have died?"

Izuku's hands trembled as bloodied lips flashed before his eyes. Uzumaki bled, clutched her stomach and must have been in the world of pain, but there was still a smile on her face. His hands shook. He always wanted to make a smile like All Might did but it was a whole different story to see Uzumaki do it. He gulped. It reassured them that everything was going to be okay but it was not worth it.

Not when she was in the operating room.

"She lost control of her Quirk," Tokoyomi commented. "It is hard to stay in control with a Quirk like hers."

Everyone swirled their head at the raven-headed teen. He offered them no other explanation, while the students flickered their eyes at each other. Was that really Uzumaki's Quirk? What was her Quirk? Izuku pressed his fingers around his forehead, rubbing circles around it. Clones? Super strength? And a monstrous energy? Nothing seemed to be connecting.

Uzushiokage was the person they kept comparing her Quirk to, but Uzumaki's Quirk seemed more powerful. It was probably stronger than One For All. Izuku clenched and unclenched his hands, before darting his eyes to Todoroki. The younger boy rubbed the back of his neck, eyes shut before looking wildly to the operating sign.

The green light of the operating room switched off and the students straightened their backs. The door swung open and the surgeon stepped through. Sweat built upon his forehead, eyes darting around the waiting room till it landed on the gathered students charging straight towards him.

"_Did she live?"_

"_Is Uzumaki okay?"_

"_Please tell us there is good news!"_

The surgeon held his arms up, his eyes growing wide as Hagakure and Ashido grabbed hold of his legs. Tears streamed down their eyes, sobs echoing throughout the waiting room as Yaoyorozu and Iida tried to yank them off the surgeon. The surgeon laughed but his eyes didn't hold the glint of joy. Did something happen? He chewed on his bottom lips, hands shaking as Uraraka rubbed his back.

"Uzumaki-san was always protecting you from Bakugou, wasn't she?" Uraraka commented.

Izuku nodded. "She was the only one that is willing to yell back at him and the only one to defend me when everyone else kept bullying me."

He just prayed that Uzumaki was going to be fine. Even though Uzumaki didn't really consider him a friend, always threw off his attempts of becoming her friend, Izuku considered her as his friend.

"Uzumaki-san is going to be fine," the doctor declared once Yaoyorozu and Iida managed to pull Ashido and Hagakure off of him. Sighs of reliefs vibrated throughout the waiting room, tears leaking out of the door as they tried to charge into the operating room until a barrier popped up, smacking everyone on the face.

Everyone blinked their eyes.

"That intern was right," the doctor blinked as the students rubbed their faces. "Her Uncle's charms really does stop from any unauthorized authority from coming in."

"Doctor?"

The surgeon shook his head, took off his mask and focused his light purple eyes on them. "Uzumaki might be out of critical condition and will be making a full recovery in the next few days. But she can't have any visitors until tomorrow."

Everyone bobbed their heads. "But can we at least see her? She saved our lives."

The surgeon pressed his lips into a thin line, tilted his head and regarded them. He glanced around the various students, eyes drinking in their expression before slumping his shoulder. The students grinned, whooping and cheering at the doctor's actions.

"Tell the nurses that you have permission to go into the ICU from Dr. Yamamoto, but be careful in there," the surgeon informed them. "And don't run!"

"Sure Doc!"

"You're the best!"

"Let's go!"

The students dashed out of the waiting room, charging straight in the direction of the reception while Izuku stayed back as the surgeon slumped his shoulders. Izuku's fingers itched to question him. Was Uzumaki really going to be okay? Because her bloodied smile haunted her. He gulped down a lump. That sight of her bloodied smile really made his stomach turned.

"Doctor, is Young Uzumaki going to be okay?"

Izuku clicked his heels together, swirling his body around and eyes growing wide at the sight of All Might standing there in his suit. No smile decorated his face, Toshinori's eyes grimed as the doctor gawked at the sight of the number one hero standing there.

"All Might!" The doctor sweated and looked wildly around the room. He fanned himself and then suddenly decided to pinch himself on the arm. Totally understandable. Even now, Izuku still had to hold himself back from fangirling at the sight of All Might.

The Hero raised his eyebrow, lips pressed into a thin line and his whole body trembled at the sight of the empty operating room. His mentor barely looked at him, his blue eyes held rage but was it rage towards himself? Or to the villains? Izuku nibbled his lip and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

The man had been in a rage to see Uzumaki in that terrible state.

"Doctor, is Young Uzumaki going to make a full recovery?"

The surgeon nodded. "She is going to be just fine. Even though her injuries were extensive and more severed then we thought, Uzumaki pulled through. That girl really is a fighter, because anyone else would have died from her wounds."

_Death._ Izuku shivered, teeth grinding together as his green eyes locked on the operational table. The wounds had been bad but to hear those words? God, it confirmed how close Uzumaki had been to closing her eyes for the final time. Green hair vigorously shook at the thought.

Uzumaki was fine now.

She was alive and that was all that mattered.

All Might relaxed, dropping his shoulders and letting out a sigh of relief. The surgeon smiled but the smile dropped as his eyes kept darting to the outside of the waiting room. Was he waiting for someone? Everyone that wanted to see Uzumaki was here. Only Aizawa-sensei was missing but the man was recovering back at his home.

"Sorry All Might but is Uzumaki's Guardian going to come?" The doctor chewed on his bottom lip, purple eyes focused at the closed doors of the operating room and it was almost like Izuku was invisible to him. "Her guardian does know that the girl was in critical condition, doesn't he? She can't go out of the hospital unless her guardian comes in."

"I am standing in for Young Uzumaki's Guardian," All Might declared, smiling at the doctor. "Whatever you wish to discuss, you can discuss with me."

Izuku's hands dropped to the side as the doctor grimaced. His eyes looked wildly around the room, almost like searching for something. Purple eyes landed on him, growing large as if just realizing that he was still there. The man took a couple of deep breaths, smiled tightly and turned to look at All Might.

"Maybe we should discuss it in my office."

All Might nodded and followed behind the surgeon, body trembling as Izuku chewed on his bottom lip.

He prayed that the surgeon wasn't going to give him any bad news.

* * *

Toshinori took a seat on the surgeon's chair, clenching and unclenching his hands as his jaws clenched at the sight of the numerous certificates decorating the office. Uzumaki wouldn't be in the operating room if he just hadn't used his Quirk on the way to Yuuei High. Toshinori took a deep breath as the surgeon's hands reached out to get a piece of paper but only to stop himself.

The surgeon inhaled. "All Might, do you have any knowledge of where her guardian might be? Of what kind of person he might be?"

Toshinori pressed his lips into a thin line and shook his head. "Eraserhead hasn't been able to make any contact with her guardian. From what he informed the school, Uzumaki's guardian hasn't seen her in the last three years."

"This won't help answer my question regarding her health," the surgeon grimaced, rubbed his chin and handed him a file of papers. "I was hoping he could explain to me why a fifteen-year-old could have a faint lightening scar just above her heart."

His heart dropped as his eyes grew large at those declaration. Toshinori grabbed the file, flipping through the pages of the file and skimming through the notes of the operation that Uzumaki underwent. He grimaced when he noticed the note on the scar.

"We thought that the girl was suicidal when I stitched her up but the scar doesn't look like she did it intentionally," the surgeon tapped to his heart, or rather in a position that seemed to be slightly above his heart. "But if Uzumaki was actually suicidal then she would have aimed for her heart or do something worse."

Toshinori felt dread building up around his stomach as the surgeon continued to talk complicated jabber that he didn't understand. Lightning scar? Wasn't the girl the same age as Young Midoriya? He balled his hands into a fist.

"She has a lightening scar?" He finally choked out.

"It is faint but I have been on the job long enough to recognize those kind of scars," the surgeon rubbed his chin and bobbed his head. "It looked like she had been attacked by it; almost like someone used their Lightning Quirk and shoved it straight through that chest."

Who would attack an innocent kid?

"Is there any significance about that scar?" Toshinori leaned forward and the surgeon leaned backwards, eyes growing shifty and he narrowed his eyes.

"Well I am more interested to know who operated on her, because that person had to be the best surgeon that I have ever seen." The man bounced on his seat as the hero sighed. Great, it wasn't even that important. "Well anyway the scar is nothing but faint and from the surgery, I can safely say that none of her organs have been fried or damaged from the attack."

Well that was good news. He exhaled, scratching the back of his neck as his eyes focused on the birds sitting in their nest outside the door. It would have made the mountain of guilt inside him grow larger if the man informed him that his reckless action from yesterday, had caused this much damage to such a young girl.

He blinked as realization dawned on him.

"But?" Toshinori chewed on his bottom lip, legs tapping against the floor as his eyes darted around the various items surrounding the office. There was no reason he would say this to him, if his student did not have a problem. He gritted his teeth. He should have been quicker to rescue his students.

"I want to conduct a couple of tests to see if Uzumaki-san had perfectly recovered from the lightening attack," the surgeon admitted. "I want to be certain that she has completely recovered. I want her guardian to watch over her until we are 100% sure that she can continue her studies."

The doctor dropped his head, slumped his shoulder and took a deep breath. "What I am trying to say is that I need you to contact her guardian soon, All Might. I can't do anything unless I have her guardian's signature. It isn't anything personal but this is standard practice in this hospital, since Uzumaki isn't even 18."

Toshinori sighed, rolling his head upwards as his head throbbed at the news. It was a very good idea to contact Uzumaki's guardian. He inhaled deeply. Uzumaki's guardian had to be found, a talk would be needed to be conducted for them to understand what type of childhood they were dealing with. He knew the child was going through therapy, but what kind of horrible childhood did she have?

His stomach rumbled as images flooded through his mind.

It could only be hell for that child.

* * *

_It has been a long time since I have been in the Hokage's office._

Naruto hovered above the office, legs crossed together as her six-year-old self kicked against the chair. Did she always used to pout? And cross her arms like that? She took the empty seat right beside her six-year-old self and stared at the Fourth Hokage photo. Her lips curled into a frown, eyebrows scrunctched together as the Third Hokage looked down at her.

Oh god, Naruto forgot how much she hated that disappointed look and she never realized how much Bakugou looked kind of similar to the Fourth Hokage.

"_Naru-chan, I heard from Weseal, Monkey and Neko that you have got into a fight again."_

Fight? Which fight were they talking about? The one with the genin? Or with that stupid Ami? She scratched her head as her younger self turned her head up, refusing to meet the Hokage's disappointed eyes. No, maybe it was a fight with Kiba. The bastard always told her that she smelt like a fox and even looked like one too.

"_They started it!"_ Her younger self screamed. _"The kids from that stupid Academy were picking on me! Are you sure they are going to be Shinobi? Because they are stupid."_

Oh, this was the fight just before she decided to join the Academy. Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line and clenched her hands into a fist. Those bastards decided to bully her for no reason. She couldn't even remember why they were bullying her, but Naruto knew the words they spoke to her had always haunted her.

"_Naru-chan, do you want to tell me what happened?"_

"_They told me that my parents abandoned me 'cuz I look like a stupid fox," _her younger self slumped her shoulders and touched her whisker cheeks. "_They say that I look like a blond Kyuubi! And that I was some kind of shapeshifter! I hate my stupid birthmarks! A-And they teased me about my hair! Not my fault that I don't know how to cut my hair!"_

"I forgot about the stupid haircut," Naruto grumbled. "And wow even then I hated those whisker marks."

Her fingers traced the whisker marks around her cheeks, lips twitching as the unintentional words of Todoroki floated through her ears. Todoroki made it seem like her whisker marks added to her looks, which was kind of stupid since Naruto wasn't the prettiest girl.

"_Naru-chan…"_

The six-year-old Naruto sniffed. "_My Mummy and Daddy didn't abandon me, did they? They are dead like you told me, right? I know ya said that I can't know anything about them till I am sixteen…but you can tell me this much right?"_

The Third Hokage smiled but those dark eyes flashed with pain and understanding of what her six-year-old self was currently experiencing. Did he understand? Her whole identity rested on them. Naruto nibbled her lips. Who was going to tell her about her parents now that he was dead? She grinded her teeth, hands curled into a fist but the girl held herself back.

He wouldn't even feel a punch to the gut.

"_Your parents are dead, Naru-chan."_

How could he be so certain?

"_Really? They didn't abandon me."_

But they did abandon her. They allowed the Fourth Hokage to seal a monster inside of her, left her to fend for herself in a village filled with people that mostly hated her. She shook her head. Those emotions should not resurfaced. She might be wrong like she was with Ero-Sennin and Tsunade.

Maybe he had given her hints but her childhood self didn't realize it. There had to be a reason that she was going through this journey of terrible childhood memories. She bobbed her head. Yup, the old man would give her a hint and she would use all of her brains to figure it out.

Maybe then it would answer the question of why was she born.

"_Naru-chan, your parents loved you with all of their heart."_

But how could he know that?

Parents could hate their own kids, so why did they allow the Fourth Hokage to seal a monster inside of her? Why her? Why did he choose her? There had been so many orphans that day, but the bastard chose her. She gritted her teeth. The man must have chosen her because her parents didn't love her enough.

"_If they love me then why aren't they here? Are you sure that they are really dead?"_ Her younger self looked so hopeful but it would crash soon. Her hope always crashed because the Hokage never allowed her to live in her delusions about her parents. Naruto exhaled as her body floated upwards towards the ceiling.

Sarutobi flickered his eyes to the photo of the Fourth Hokage and then looked back at her younger self, eyes filled with so much grief. He nodded, tapping his hat down as if he didn't want her to see his emotions. He never did when Naruto think about it.

"_They were in the front lines, protecting the village from the Kyuubi."_

Her younger self stiffened and Naruto blinked when she saw the clenched jaw of her younger self. Why was she acting like that? It was an honor. A great honor for any shinobi but…_ she never wanted to be a kunoichi at the time._ Blue eyes grew large as her younger self sucked in a lungful of air and smiled tightly.

Had she always given a fake smile?

"_So they were shinobi."_ Her younger self didn't sound or feel overjoyed at this knowledge, only upset at the knowledge that the man gave her.

Naruto doesn't even remember what her younger self was thinking at the time. It was weird? Because that was her sitting on the armchair across the Hokage. She chewed on her bottom lip as her younger self clenched her t-shirt.

"_My parents wanted me to be a kunoichi, didn't they?"_

That wasn't what went through her head.

" _Yes."_

"_Would they be proud of me if I become a shinobi?"_ All smiles dropped from her six-year-old self face as her blue eyes stared at the various faces of the Hokage that came before and after the Third Hokage.

The man smiled. "_Yes."_

Naruto doesn't remember why she decided to become a kunoichi, but the question reminded her of her reasons. Mummy and Daddy were gone. They discarded their lives to become shinobi instead of choosing to remain with her. If she became a kunoichi then she could understand them. If she chose to protect the village they loved, then she would understand why they left her.

Naruto wanted to make them proud and happy with her, even though she didn't want to protect the village that brought her pain. The desire to make her parent proud had outweighed her desire for anything else. The fifteen-year-old girl smiled bitterly.

Her parents, respect and acknowledgment: all of that had been reasons Naruto wanted to be a kunoichi. The reasons she wanted to become Hokage but did she actually want it? Or was she more in love with the idea of making her deceased parents proud? In love with the idea of being acknowledged by people?

Was she doing things for the right reasons?

Sure Tsunade wanted her to come back and Naruto definitely didn't want to be hunted down by the ANBU, but she didn't choose to be a kunoichi for the right reasons. She didn't choose to be a hero for the right reasons.

Naruto slumped her shoulders.

Maybe she needed to figure out if she really wanted to be a Hero, because Naruto knew she doesn't want to be a kunoichi. She doesn't want to become Hokage, not when the village hated her. Tsunade might care for her and so did Jiraiya, along with Hinata but they were just a handful of people.

Most of the people in Konoha hated her and she doesn't want to lead them.

She doesn't want to become their leader, not when she felt disgusted with the thought of killing people. A Hokage should be able to make tough decisions, they should be able to kill people without a second thought and put the village first before their own needs. The village must be seen as the extension of their family.

But how could she see a village as a part of her family when the civilians hated her?

She needed to figure out what she wanted to be, because Naruto wanted to make a decision based on her own feelings and desires.

* * *

**_A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the character interactions? Of the developments of the characters._**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter and everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows.**

* * *

_Am I in a memory? Or have I finally woken up?_

Naruto rubbed her eyes and darted her eyes around the hospital room. It doesn't look anything like the hospital rooms in Konoha, so maybe she finally woken up? A quick glance to the television screen blaring to life, along with a couple of empty beds confirmed her suspicions that maybe she was in a hospital bed in Japan.

The whole room seemed empty except for a large blond-haired man sitting on the chair right beside her bed. Wait, a large blond-haired man? Blue eyes grew large as Naruto's mouth dropped open at the sight of a relaxed All Might sitting right beside her bed. Okay, this had to be a dream. She pinched her skin, fingernails digging deep till a small mark formed.

Right, this was not a dream.

"You are not dreaming, Young Uzumaki." The number one hero straightened his back, shuffled himself around till he sat properly. No humor leaked through his eyes nor could Naruto hear the usual goofy tone in her teacher's voice. It was like he decided to drop that humorous mask around her, like he was not in the mood to act like his usual teaching self.

Naruto tilted her head. "What are you doing here, All Might-sensei?"

"Checking up on you, Young Uzumaki."

That made sense.

The blond-haired girl ran her hand through her hair, detangling the tangles in her hair as her eyes focused on the television screen. _Students attacked in USJ: several students injured and Pro-Hero Eraserhead has been injured. _That was the banner running through the news channel as several reporters discussed about Yuuei High and their security.

'_Where were the heroes? One of the students decided to run recklessly against the villain and nearly got themselves killed.'_

Were they talking about her? Or were they talking about anyone else? Naruto chewed on her bottom lip as concern rolled over her in her stomach. How did these people know of the attack? The thoughts swirled around her head, almost forcing the blond-haired teen to kneel down and cradle her head.

'_It isn't like Yuuei High would know this would have happened!'_

She balled her hands into a fist. They couldn't blame the school for what happened, how would anyone know about the attack? She balled her hands against her blankets as another set of blue eyes focused upon her.

'_But Yuuei High has one of the best security systems in the country!' _

Her teeth grinded together as several deep breath were breathed in and out. Did anyone realize it could be easy to break into a building if they knew a weak spot? Every security system had a glitch, a weak area that could be taken advantage of.

"How long have I been unconscious?" she turned to her teacher as her hand reached out to the bedside table, where a single remote lay. Pressing the button, the television screen turned blank and Naruto relaxed against the hospital bed.

"Two days," All Might grimaced. "You were in surgery for a whole day because of the wound sustained to your stomach."

Naruto lifted up the blanket, hand reaching down to her stomach and balked at the feeling of the small, delicate stitches to her stomach. Right, these people didn't do healing jutsu and so it was only natural that they decided to operate on her. None of them even know she had the Kyuubi, so they didn't consider to wait to see if the monster would heal her.

"How is Aizawa-sensei? Is he…" Her throat tightened as her stomach rolled around at the idea of her precious teacher dying. Bile rose up to her throat, burning it to the point that it actually felt like she swallowed a bunch of fire in her mouth.

All Might smiled. "He's fine, Young Uzumaki but he won't be allowed to leave his bed until tomorrow."

A sigh of relief escaped from Naruto's lips as her shoulder relaxed. Tears began leaking out of her eyes, droplets hitting the white blanket and the girl furiously rubbed her eyes. All Might's eyes softened, looking almost fatherly but the girl turned her body away from him.

She cleared her throat. "And how about the others? Are they fine?"

"Everyone is alive and well," Naruto smiled and her teacher regarded her. "No one else was badly injured."

The chair shuffled out, pushed back and blue eyes grew large as the Number One Hero dropped to his knees, head touching the ground as his hands made an apology sign. All smiles faded from Naruto's lips as her lips parted slightly at the display and her eyebrows rising to meet her hairline.

"Young Uzumaki, I'm sorry." Grief and regret laced in her teacher's tone as he lifted his head to meet her bright blue eyes. Sorry? But why was he sorry? Lines formed around Naruto's forehead as her eyebrows knitted together. She tilted her head, trying to make sense of what the number one hero seemed to be apologizing to her about.

"Why are you sorry?"

"If I had arrived there just a little bit earlier then none of this would have happened."

Oh, her teacher was apologizing for not saving her and the others. Naruto regarded her teacher, throat tightening as her hands shoved away from the blanket. Before all those weird memories being played out, she probably would think he was doing this for attention. She would have thought that he didn't care about her.

And a part of her did think like that, but Naruto had been wrong about a lot of things. So maybe she should try to do this trust thing that Aizawa-sensei claimed that she had a problem with. She gulped down her lump. God, this was actually going to be difficult for her.

"It wasn't like you knew this would happen," Naruto swung her legs around and pushed herself up from the bed. Her lips curled into a smile, stretched large, and her thumb lifted up as her other four other fingers curled into a closed fist. "And I'm alive, All Might-sensei so everything turned out fine!"

All Might shook his head. "This doesn't mean what happened was acceptable. I failed you and your classmates as both a teacher and a hero."

Naruto tilted her head, blue eyes focused on the trembling man. A sigh escaped from her lips as the blond-haired girl knelt down to her teacher. Small hands patted her teacher's large back as Naruto allowed herself to smile slightly at her teacher. The desire to please him, to lie to him about his actions were great but she had always been lying.

Her memories showed her this.

"Look All Might, you didn't know we were going to be attacked." She nodded. "And I'm going to be honest: your teaching kinda sucks."

Her teacher slumped lower and Naruto felt her lips twitched at the man's actions. She felt a rare flicker of amusement, the little bubbles of joy she only gets whenever someone acted silly or like a dork. She patted the man as the door to the room slid open.

"But All Might-sensei, you are a terrific hero so you don't need to beat yourself up about it."

All Might lifted up, eyes blinking as Naruto offered him the tiniest glimpse of her smile. It would be a while before she could fully trust people, maybe she would never trust but Naruto would try to open herself up to people.

"I see that you're feeling better, Uzumaki-san."

The doctor did not offer either her or All Might a smile, only shooting an exasperated look at her. Naruto sighed, rubbed the back of her neck and dragged her body back to the bed, while All Might lifted himself up from the ground.

Naruto laid on the bed, pulled her blankets till it covered her neck as the doctor took the clipboard standing on the end of her bed. He clicked his pen, eyes focused on her, and his lips pursed into a thin line almost looking like he sucked a bad lemon.

"Uzumaki-san, how do you feel?"

"Fine." The doctor nodded, scribbled down a couple of notes before taking a seat on the other empty chair right beside her bed. He put down his pen, clasped his hands together and inhaled. Naruto felt almost a sense of dread at the sight of resignation in his eyes.

"Uzumak-san, I need you to fill in the details of your Guardian so that we can proceed with signing you out and having you take a couple of tests."

Naruto frowned. "Test? What test?"

"Uzumaki-san," the man tugged his collar and avoided looking at Naruto's eyes. "I noticed you have a lightening scar on your chest. I want to make sure that you don't have any lingering side effects from your wound."

Naruto shook her head. "I have already got it tested two years ago and the results said I'm fine."

Tsunade might be the Hokage but the woman made her undergo a series of test to make sure that the chidori hadn't messed her up. Naruto shuddered and sweated. The woman had taken time off her busy schedule (more likely she found excuse not to do her paperwork) and did the check-ups personally.

"We still need your Guardian to come here and sign you out," the doctor sighed. "It is standard practice for any minors."

Well she was already planning to call Ero-Sennin, so this was just a much needed excuse to bring him here without telling him that she missed him and that she was a selfish idiot.

**~X~**

_What number did that side character say?_

Bakugou stuffed his hands into his pockets, eyes flickering around the various rooms surrounding the corridor. Most of the doors seemed wide open, showing various patients struggling either to walk or making their way to their rooms. Only one door seemed ajar, barely glimpsing a blond-haired girl standing on the floor.

Why did he decide to come again? Right, Shitty Hair and Deku goaded him into coming here. Bakugou clicked his tongue as he dragged his feet to the room as Whiskers bit her thumb, blood dripping to the side of her thumb as her hands made a couple of weird signals.

It didn't look anything like the hand signals Whiskers used for her clones. Bakugou hovered against the door, eyebrows knitted together as a cloud of smoke appeared. Red eyes grew large when a rather large, dark orange toad, wearing a purple jacket appeared.

"Gamakichi! You've gotten huge!"

The dark, orange toad snorted as Uzumaki gawked at the toad. Bakugou could only blink as his brain tried to process the sight of a rather large toad sitting on the hospital floor. There was nothing about its appearance that implied it was an animal with a Quirk; it looked exactly like a toad. Even animals with Quirks had features implying that they weren't completely normal.

"It's been nearly three years since you summoned me, Naruto!" The toad barked. "Of course I'm going to get big! Ya change too: you are no longer a midget or fat."

Naruto gritted her teeth as Bakugou tried to picture his slender classmate looking fat. His lips twitched as his blond-haired classmate folded her arms against her chest, lips curled into like a pout. A sight that made Bakugou gawked because… Whiskers never made those kind of expressions.

"I was never fat, Gamakichi and I ain't a midget!"

The toad regarded her. "Coulda fool me."

"I was going through puberty!" Naruto tugged her hair as the toad just stared at her like she was an idiot.

Bakugou tugged his shirt collar, his ears flushing a bright shade of red as Uzumaki and Gamakichi argued over whether or not Uzumaki had been fat as a little kid. Probably a good idea for him to leave because nothing in the world would make him want to listen to this shit. He shuddered. The amount of talks that the middle school gave them was enough, listening to Uzumaki talk about it was a whole different story.

"So why did ya decide to summon me, Naruto!"

Bakugou stopped and swirled his head around at the door. His gaze sharpened as he returned back to the door. He leaned against the wall as his ears perked up to hear what was happening. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, held his breath and focused his eyes on the wall, occasionally peaking at the ajar door.

"I need you to send a message to Ero-Sennin," Whiskers tied her hair up into a ponytail and sighed. "The stupid hospital won't let me get out of the room unless I've a damn guardian."

Gamakichi blinked. "What did ya do this time for you to land yourself in a hospital?"

Whiskers laughed nervously as her hand rubbed the back of her neck and blue eyes avoided the toad's eyes. A smile played on her lips, but it was not her usual fake smile. It was the type of smile a kid would give when they did something that they knew they should not have done.

"So how's Gamabunta? Is he still grumpy?"

"Don't try to change the topic to my father, Naruto!" The blond-haired girl slumped her shoulders as the toad flickered its eyes around the room. Bakugou shifted away when the toad's eyes neared to the doors. His brain tried to process the information being poured out into the open.

This time implied that Whiskers had done reckless stunts before, and her reckless stunts had also landed her inside a hospital. He scowled. Why did he even give a shit? Whiskers and him were at best classmates, and at their worst: enemies. This type of information shouldn't even matter to him, but Whiskers did save their asses by defeating that villain.

"I might have gotten into a little fight," Uzumaki said, poking her fingers together and blue eyes closed as she waited for something; probably a scolding from the huge toad.

Bakugou snorted.

A little fight was just putting it lightly.

"Did ya hear that?" Something shuffled as wet sounds hit the hospital door. Bakugou leaned closer to the next room and placed his hand on the other door's knob, as the toad searched around to find the source of the sound. Yellow eyes darted out of the door, shifting to the right and landed on Bakugou.

Bakugou kept his eyes focused on the door, shoulders straightened and more sweat building around his hands before finally relaxing when the toad returned back to the room.

That was really close. The blond-haired teen shifted closer to Uzumaki's room and pressed his ears against the door, trying to make sense of the muffled voices inside the room. He scowled, before stuffing his hands into his pocket and made his way to the reception.

He would just wait for Shitty Hair.

* * *

_What can a girl watch?_

Naruto poked her tongue against her cheek as the television screen flipped through the various channels being offered to them. Some of the movie channels were showing those old romance movies, which was a genre that always made her want to hurl. The other movies just didn't call out to her, and the news channels seemed intent on talking shit about Yuuei.

She slumped her shoulders and eyed the magazines sitting on the bed stand. Was she so bored that she would be willing to sink herself into one of those magazines? Reading one of Ero-Sennin scripts would be better than this. Naruto furiously shook her head at the thought as her hand reached out to the magazine.

The doorframe slid opened as a yellow eyes peaked through the door. Naruto knitted her eyebrows when the door opened fully to show her classmates carrying gift baskets, flowers, cards and even a tiny plush frog. Smiles decorated most of their faces as few of the girls teared up at the sight of her.

What the hell was happening?

"You're finally awake!" Ashido charged straight towards her and wrapped her thin arms around her. Naruto stiffened, hands patting the girl awkwardly as some of her classmates dropped their presents around the shelves and bedside. "You scared the shit out of us!"

"What did the doctor say? Are you going to be fine?" Yaoyorozu took the empty seat right beside her and folded her arms on her lap. Her eyebrows knitted together, lips pressed into a frown while Todoroki hovered beside her.

"Well she looks fine," Jirou commented as her eyes took in the lack of bruises and scratches decorating Naruto's face.

"You need anything, Uzumaki?"

"I brought some watermelon!" Kaminari raised his arm to reveal a rather large watermelon stuffed into an empty grocery bag. Everyone hovered around her bed, voices becoming into one rather large voice as they continued to question her about her desires.

Her throat tightened and burned at the various looks of concern being thrown towards her. Uraraka gestured for her to move away from her pillow, offering her a smile as she fluffed her pillow for her. Tsuyu handed her a glass of water as Naruto's thoughts swirled at the actions of her classmates. What the hell was happening? The last time someone cared about her like this, had been Hinata.

God, she never thanked Hinata for being worried for her and apologizing for her shitty actions.

"We thought you weren't going to make it!" Hagakure admitted as Iida began to chop the watermelon. "You were bleeding and everything. The doctors weren't even sure that you were going to pull through."

"Sorry." Naruto balled her hands into a fist as her heart clenched at the level of concern being thrown at her direction. Her classmates stopped their chattering, their eyes fixated on her and each one of them glanced at each other as if maybe the other person had the answer on what to do.

"You could have died because of your reckless action, Uzumaki."

Naruto blinked and looked up as a pair of mismatch eyes focused on her. Todoroki's voice was calm and cool, almost making it seem like he wasn't concern or fazed by her actions. But his hands seemed to be balled into a tight fist as he schooled himself into a calm expression.

She felt her lips twitched into a frown. Todoroki seemed to be really worried because he never do these kind of actions. Their classmates flickered their eyes between them, looking rather curious to what she was about to say to his comment.

But what could she say?

"I'm sorry." Todoroki nodded as his gaze dipped onto the blanket covering her stomach. The temperature of the room dropped and her classmates shivered from the cold. Naruto felt goosebumps on her arms but felt no desire to rub her arms, only to focus on her concern friend.

It was weird to know that even someone as stoic as Todoroki could worry about her.

"Todoroki was really worried to see you hurt," Uraraka commented quietly, her voice barely loud enough for Naruto to hear. Blue eyes grew large as she swirled her head at her friend. Her lips twitched into a small smile. So the Pretty Boy was so worried about her that even the other members of their class could see it. She guessed that was nice.

That maybe Todoroki wasn't completely emotionless; not that he ever was. The boy really did have a temper if the argument in her apartment was of any indicator.

Naruto shook her head and stared at her classmates. Watermelon slices shuffled around between them until the final watermelon slice reached towards her. She looked down at her watermelon slice, lips wobbling as her brain finally processed what was happening right now.

"Why did you guys come here?" Naruto finally choked out. "Aren't you guys scared after seeing what I did to that villain in USJ?"

All smiles dropped as her classmates glanced at each other, their eyes refusing to meet her own blue eyes. Naruto nibbled her bottom lip, focusing her attention on Todoroki. The boy stared right back at her, no fear shining through his eyes or anything. Even though no words were spoken, she smiled.

Todoroki looked away.

"It was really scary," Izuku admitted.

Uraraka nodded and beamed at her. "But we kinda understand you lost control because you saw Aizawa-sensei get really hurt. You aren't usually that scary."

"Scary? I thought it was kinda cool!" Sero waved his hands and tried to imitate her glare. "Did you see how you pummel that villain? That was awesome!"

"It was manly!" Kirishima pumped his fist into the air. "You might have been injured but you still kept fighting against that villain!"

More and more compliments floated around the air as Naruto's head buzzed with the knowledge that her classmates found her actions to be more awesome, than scary. Her lips curled into a large smile as her throat tightened at the various words being thrown towards her. She looked away when a pair of mismatch eyes and red eyes stared at her.

She swallowed down the tight lump formed as her brain tried to figure out the words to express her feelings towards them.

"You saved us, Uzumaki!" Her classmates declared. "Now let us take care of you until visiting hours are over!"

Tears leaked out of her eyes but Naruto furiously rubbed her eyes.

They might have touched her heart and showed her that they weren't scared of her, but Naruto would never allow herself to cry in front of them.

She didn't trust herself to stop crying.

* * *

"Hey, Jiraiya! You got a message from Naruto!"

Jiraiya lowered his telescope, a small scowl played on his lips at the interruption of his spying. Just a few more minutes and inspiration would have been in his reach. Who cared if…wait did the toad just say Naruto? Black eyes grew large as Jiraiya swirled his head to Gamakichi.

The Toad Sannin lowered his telescope, placed it right beside him as the toad just stared at him, not looking one bit pleased about the lack of answer. He could only gawked as his brain tried to process what was just said to him.

Finally, Jiraiya choked out. "Naruto? She summoned you?"

"Ya while I was in the middle of lunch!" Gamakichi complained. Jiraiya waved his hand, crossed his legs and flickered his eyes from the telescope to the toad. As tempting as it was to continue his research, it was more of a concern to know that Naruto summoned Gamakichi.

"How is she?"

The toad shifted to the side. "Not well if you ask me, she landed herself in the hospital."

Dread swelled up in Jiraiya's chest and he dropped the telescope from his hand. He balled his hands into a fist, teeth grinding together as he stared at the toad. How did Naruto land herself in the hospital? It took a lot of hits for his godchild to get hurt. What did she do to herself? Oh god, did she crack? He knew he should have stayed behind to be certain she wouldn't do anything reckless.

But she seemed to have gotten better when they reached Japan and it seemed like a good idea to leave her. Well he didn't want to leave her but Naruto left him no choice. He pressed his fingers against his forehead. The girl thought everything he was doing was because of obligation.

That nothing he did was because he cared for her.

Birds chirped as Jiraiya looked up at the sky. Why was he thinking of the negative? If Naruto summoned a toad then it meant that she was probably getting better. Maybe not completely better but it was an improvement from before.

Maybe she would understand the reason Tsunade exiled her now, because Naruto never saw the bigger picture. The council didn't even try to see the bigger picture when it came to his goddaughter. He grimaced. If they had just allowed him to do what he wanted then Naruto would have never begged him to take her away.

He always had a soft spot for the little girl and it didn't help that they had a while before the Akatsuki made their move. Just another three and half years before the Akatsuki would make their move against the Jinchuuriki if his spy was correct. He grimaced and rubbed his chin.

Japan was safe and it was a mystical land to the shinobi, a land of dreams and fairy tales, so no one would think Naruto was there. It had been a good idea to just let her recover mentally and emotionally from what happened at the time, so Jiraiya didn't put much of an argument when Naruto begged him.

The wind tickled his hair and Jiraiya looked out at the walls of hot spring. Even if Japan was safe, Jiraiya couldn't take the risk that someone from Akatsuki might figure out that Naruto was there. At her current level, his goddaughter isn't strong enough against them. He pressed his lips into a thin line. They needed to start her training soon, but it would do them no good if her heart wasn't in it.

He shook his head and inhaled a deep breath. "Did she tell you how she landed herself in the hospital?"

Gamakichi looked at him like he was an idiot. "She got herself into a fight but if ya ask her: it was a _little_ fight."

Little was definitely an understatement when it came to Naruto. Jiraiya shook his head as more worry swelled inside his chest. How did she get herself into a fight? No, the better question was how bad her injury had to be for her to be in the hospital? Last time it had been the chidori. What was it this time? His stomach rolled over.

Maybe he should have placed a toad to keep an eye on Naruto.

"What's the message?" Jiraiya took a couple of deep breaths and focused his eyes on Gamakichi. Giggles from the hot spring drifted into his ear and his hands itched to take the telescope. Later. He could do his research later, even if his mind burned to know what was happening inside there.

"Can you come back?" Jiraiya blinked and Gamakichi nodded. "The stupid doctors won't discharge me unless I have a Guardian to sign me out: those were her exact words."

Jiraiya grinned and laughed as Gamakichi stared at him with confusion. Tears leaked out of his eyes as Gamakichi frowned, not understanding one bit about how funny those words were.

"What's so funny?"

Jiraiya rubbed the tears out of his eyes. "Naruto doesn't want to admit that she misses me, because I know that girl and Naruto could have just signed herself out by making a henge of me. The brat misses me but she's just too stubborn to admit it."

Gamakichi hummed as his eyes widened in realization. "She's still stubborn."

"And is there anything else that was added to the message?"

Gamakichi frowned and then nodded. "Ya! She wants you to train her."

Jiraiya frowned, regarding the toad with a tilted head and realized something must have happened for his godchild to decide to go back to training. Something must have happened for his goddaughter to snap out of her weird state, because Jiraiya never thought he would hear those words again.

He nodded.

If Naruto wanted to be trained then Jiraiya would put her through a world of hell. He would make sure that the girl would surpass her father. But after he scold her for her reckless stunt.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. **


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that reviewed and added this story to their favorites and follows.**

Aizawa could only tightened the grip of his clutches as he stepped into Uzumaki's hospital room. It had been two days since the USJ incident and only now did the doctors declared him free to go and visit his _most_ _reckless_ student. If it had been up to him, he would have visited the girl yesterday when she woke up.

He thinned his lips as his eyes landed on Uzumaki. The blond-haired teen sat on her bed, lips pressed into a scowl as the shinobi in the television screen pulled out their swords and declared that this was a battle to the death. Aizawa snorted at the cheesy lines used and wondered how could he have found those movies to be interesting.

"Glad to see that you are awake, Uzumaki."

His student jerked her head at him and blue eyes swelled up at the sight of him. Tears slowly dribbled down those peach-colour cheeks, raining down the white blankets and Aizawa almost felt his anger wavering at the sight of his student. Just because the girl was crying, doesn't mean he couldn't let her know about the stupidity and recklessness of her actions.

"You're really okay." His student choked out, rubbing her eyes furiously. "But you kinda look like a mummy. Are you sure that you should be walking, Aizawa-sensei?"

"The doctors made it a bigger deal then it actually is." Aizawa took a seat on the far corner of her bed and focused his attention on his fifteen-year-old student. No bruises or scratches decorated her face and the doctors hadn't wrapped any bandages around her arms or legs, which meant his student was probably recovering better than he expected.

It was dumb luck that the girl survived.

"What you did two days ago had to be one of the most reckless, idiotic things that I have ever seen from a student!" He raised his voice and allowed the anger to leak into his usual, calm voice. If things hadn't gone the way they did, he would have to bury a student. His throat burned at the thought. It had been one thing to bury friends and comrades, but to bury someone under his care would hurt.

"Aizawa-sensei—"

"I ordered you to run away!" His student flinched and Aizawa narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Do you realize how lucky you are to be alive? Did you have a death wish? Being a hero doesn't mean that you recklessly throw your life away."

His student hung her head. "I didn't think—"

"That's your problem isn't it, Uzumaki? You don't think about your actions!" Aizawa inhaled and exhaled as his head pounded at the thought of his student nearly dying. "Help was on the way but you decided that you could act as a hero! Decided to charge in there without a plan and look what it costed you!"

Uzumaki stiffened. "I lost control of myself."

Aizawa paused and observed his student. The blond-haired girl clenched her hands against the blankets, eyes shut as her chest moved up and down rapidly. The rage and worry inside of him slowly faded away like the melted snow as his student kept her eyes fixated on her blankets.

"Uzumaki?"

"I just saw you getting hurt and all I could feel was rage and hate for the villain attacking you," Uzumaki choked out. "I just wanted to make him pay for what he did to you, and I just wanted to protect everyone from them."

The black-haired man took a deep breath. What could he say to his crying student? Becoming even more angry wouldn't do the girl any do and the only thing he could do was comfort her. But Aizawa needed to get through that thick girl's head that her actions had been the last thing anyone wanted. He knew she saved them in the end but what was the cost? What if she died? No one would want that.

"But at the cost of your own life?" He frowned. "Do you think that your life means so little to you that you think dying is better? You only have one life to live so you shouldn't throw it away so carelessly. The world already have one All Might; we don't need a second one."

Uzumaki chewed on her bottom lip. "I never thought anyone would care if I die because who would miss me? There was no one that really tied me to this world. I mean who would miss the orphan kid if she dies? That was what I thought."

"Eri would have missed you," Aizawa reminded her. "If she was here right now, she would have been crying and hugging you like there was no tomorrow."

His blond-haired student blinked and stared at him like he was lying about it. But why would he make something up? Eri always wanted to see Uzumaki. She always looked eagerly at the clock, waiting for the time that Uzumaki would come to play with her. If his student died then his foster child would have been crying tears like there was no tomorrow.

He flickered his eyes to the various cards and gifts. "Those get-well cards and plush toy should tell you that your classmates would have cared if you gotten yourself killed."

"I know that now," Uzumaki whispered. "And I'm happy that they care but why do they care so much? Why do they want to take care of me? I just don't understand. We aren't friends."

Aizawa regarded his student. "Must there be a reason for everything? They care about you because you are their classmate. It doesn't matter if you are friends or not, what mattered to them was that you are in the hospital. Can't someone do something because they care for you?"

Uzumaki kept quiet.

Black eyes focused on his trembling student and a realization dawned upon him. Todoroki called Uzumaki an abused child, but even abused children had seen some form of kindness directed towards them. The way his student kept questioning things hinted that no one treated her with kindness from the bottom of his heart. His throat tightened at the thought.

When Uzumaki's Guardian get here, Aizawa was going to question the way he did things because a child should always be treated with kindness.

They should never have to work to earn that kindness.

~X~

Naruto knew it would be a week maximum for Jiraiya to come and bail her out of the hospital, but she really wanted him to get to the hospital quicker. Her classmates resumed their studies so there was no one to talk to. The channels were either showing things she had no interest in, or things that bored her to death. It was getting so bad that Naruto was actually contemplating reading those fashion magazines.

The world must be ending for her to think about it.

"Uzumaki-chan! We're here!"

Naruto snatched her hands back as the hospital door swung open as Nejirou, Amejiki and Togato walked into the room, hands filled with baskets and cards. Three more people? And cards again too? And how did they know she was here? Naruto pushed herself up from the bed and gawked at the smiling teens.

"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto stuttered out as Nejirou rushed in to give her a hug. It was a tight hug that almost reminded her of the hugs she used to give to her best friend whenever Hinata used to get injured in her missions. But why would Nejirou give her a hug? Naruto hadn't been the nicest person to her.

"I cornered one of your classmates and asked them where you were during lunch time!" Nejirou released Naruto from the hug and bounced in her spot as blue eyes darted to the clock. Did her seniors come immediately from the school to the hospital, just to visit her? That must have happened if their uniforms were of any indication. Her throat tightened at the thought.

She cleared the lump and stared at her seniors. "Thank you for visiting."

"You are really something aren't you, Uzumaki?" Togato tilted his head and frowned. "What were you thinking when you decided to charge right in there to fight the villains? That was really reckless of you."

Naruto laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck as Amejiki raised his eyebrow at Togato. It was almost like he expected that the last person to say this was her senior and the blue-eyed girl wondered if there was a story behind them. She tilted her head, eyes fixated at the teen who looked almost like her best friend.

He flickered his eyes at her, head tilted to the side and flushed a bright shade of red. Why did the boy always blush? Was he sick? But he went to school, didn't he? Naruto has never been sick before. She nodded and stared at Nejirou, who smiled brightly at Amejiki.

"Is Amajiki-senpai okay?" Naruto asked. "He looks kinda sick."

Nejirou and Togato glanced at each other, lips curled into a smile as the blond-haired teen moved out of her bed. What was so funny? She wouldn't like it if the boy fainted in her hospital room. If he was sick then he should have gone to the doctor before coming here. She tip-toed and touched his forehead, frowning at the lack of heat coming from his face.

"He doesn't seem sick."

Nejirou laughed. "I think it is because it's kinda hot in here."

Naruto nodded, dropped her hand and took a seat on the bed as Togato patted his friend on the back. Was her room really that hot? She grabbed the remote, lips pressed into a thin line and her eyebrows knitted together when she saw the temperature was in the lower end of the temperature range. Naruto darted her eyes to Amajiki and Togato.

"You seem like you can walk just fine, even though you were operated for a whole day." Nejirou commented, drawing Naruto's attention away from the remote. "Why are you still in the hospital if you can walk and everything?"

"I have to wait for my Guardian to come."

The three teens frowned. "Your guardian? Where are they?"

"No idea." Everyone blinked their eyes and raised their eyebrows at her. Naruto rubbed the back of her neck, uncertain of how to explain Ero-Sennin to them. No way could she tell them that he had a spy network or a bad habit of spying on the hot springs to get inspiration for his books. She wrinkled her nose when she recalled the last book he made.

His editor should have corrected his spelling mistakes.

"Why?" Amajiki frowned and Naruto regarded him. She poked her tongue against her cheek as his dark eyes fixated on hers. Would it be considered a lot of information if she tell them about Ero-Sennin part time job? It didn't really matter. As soon as Ero-Sennin comes through the door then there would be a couple of men asking for his autograph. She grimaced.

"He travels all over the world," Naruto lied. "So he is barely in Japan which means I rarely see him or hear from him."

She avoided their eyes, focusing more on the magazine lying on her bed stand. The models were pretty and had body proportions that would have made Ero-Sennin waggling his tongue like a dog. If her teacher did come then did she also have to play the role of the babysitter? And was he going to rip her off again? She barely reached her old saving before leaving Konoha.

Naruto grimaced.

"But who were you living with this whole time?" Nejirou asked.

The blond-haired girl frowned. "I have been living by myself this whole time, Hadou."

Their eyes grew large as Naruto focused her eyes on the window. Birds flew and the sun shone so brightly, almost making it seem like today was going to be a great day. Maybe it was going to be a great day because Aizawa-sensei was fine now and so many people visited her. She smiled and regarded her three seniors who kept staring at her.

She blinked when Nejirou hugged her, tears streaming down her eyes and the teen just blinked. Snot soaked her hospital clothes and Naruto patted her senior's back, almost uncertain of how to comfort the woman. Sakura never went to her for comfort while Kiba always made sure to comfort Hinata-chan. She chewed on her bottom lip.

"Senpai, why are you crying?"

Nejirou pushed herself up and frown. "Because it must have been so hard for you to take care of yourself. I can't imagine going back to an apartment or house and not have someone there."

"You get used to it."

She doesn't want to tell her that it was lonely to go back to a house and not have someone greet her. Naruto grinned at her senior while her heart ached like it always did whenever she thought of her empty apartment. But Naruto was used to it, so she could never complain it. This had always been her life and maybe she would always live alone in an apartment. She smiled tighter.

Naruto hoped her words would come true.

**~X~**

"Todoroki, what are you doing here?"

Shouto raised his eyebrow and took a seat on the chair as Uzumaki pushed herself up from the bed. Several teardrops stained the blanket, almost like his friend had been crying again. Who caused her to cry? He pressed his lips into a thin line, let out a sigh and pulled out the homework and notes that his friend missed.

Uzumaki blinked. "What's this?"

"All the work you missed." Uzumaki gawked and then knitted her eyebrows at the various photocopied notes and the homework that their teachers assigned them. His friend flipped through the notes, eyes focused on the homework and then she flickered her eyes to him.

"Thank you, Todoroki!" His classmate didn't offer him a smile, only staring down at lap before blue eyes focused on him. Her bright blue eyes seemed to be searching for something, almost made him feel uncomfortable enough to shift his body away from her. If you asked him, it almost felt like she was seeing through him. His friend cleared her throat. "Are you okay, Todoroki?"

Shouto regarded her, eyes fixated on her cheeks and forehead. No blood decorated them and her hair seemed clean, no longer dirtied by blood but her bruised face still played in front of his eyes. Even now his throat tightened at the memory.

"I'm not okay." Uzumaki blinked and Shouto stared at her eyes. "I didn't like seeing you get hurt and I thought you were going to die. I don't know why I didn't like it but I know that no one wants to see that ever again."

Uzumaki stared, her expression completely blank, and Shouto just tilted his head. Why wasn't she saying anything? Usually she would say something by now but she was just so quiet now. He rubbed the back of his neck and blinked when his friend smiled at him.

He blinked. "Are you okay? You're smiling."

"Yeah because I am kinda happy," Uzumaki admitted and he blinked. Why was she happy? What did he say that make her happy? Shouto scrunched his eyebrows together. "I'm happy because you are worried about me. I didn't think a lot of people would tell me that they were worried for me, especially you Todoroki."

He tilted his head. "Why me?"

"Because you usually don't show your emotions," Uzumaki replied. "So it kinda makes me happy because that means you must have been really worried about me. I guess you really think of me as your friend because friends worry about each other."

"What does that have to do of why I didn't like to see you hurt?" Shouto knitted his eyebrows and tilted his head. Uzumaki sighed, head shaking as her eyes fixated at him. There was some amusement in her eyes as if she found something amusing about the way he asked her.

Uzumaki smiled. "Because friends worry for each other especially if said friend was close to death."

Shouto nodded, regarded his smiling friend and stared at the television screen where two friends seemed to be discussing their life problems to each other. So would those two friends had the same feeling he felt? That reassured him in some way. He pressed his lips into a thin line and regarded his smiling friend.

"Why did you do it?" Shouto inhaled and exhaled. "That villain mauled Aizawa-sensei and it was obvious that it would be willing to kill you so why the hell did you do it?"

Uzumaki sighed, tilted his head and took a deep breath as her eyes focused on him. She hung her head down, avoiding his eyes but he could make out the tiny peaks of a bitter smile playing on her lips. After a couple of minutes, her head came up and landed on the top of her knees. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"I just saw Aizawa-sensei getting hurt and lost it," she inhaled and exhaled. "I know it was really reckless of me but I just wanted to protect him and…I guess everyone too."

Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line as Uzumaki flashed him a smile. Reckless? Everyone had been so terrified to see her in that state. Was that all she could say? Could she explain herself better? Did she not think of just how scared they were? He took a deep breath, pressed his hands against his forehead and locked his mismatch eyes at his smiling friend.

"If you rush in there then who would have your back? Did you stop to think about it?" He took several deep breaths. "We thought you were going to die and all you can say that was reckless?"

Uzumaki frowned and looked at him. She tilted her head, rubbed her chin and regarded him for a couple of minutes. What was going through her mind? Sometimes it was easy for him to understand but when she looked at him with no emotions, then Shouto found it difficult to read her. He sighed, looking at the clock before returning his attention back to her.

"You aren't just pissed off because I did something reckless and stupid, are you?" Uzumaki pressed her lips into a thin line. "What's the real problem?"

Shouto raised his eyebrow. "There is no problem."

"You're avoiding the problem," she said dryly. "If you think you're going to hurt my feelings then don't worry, 'cuz I am a big girl."

Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line and looked away from her searching eyes. What made her think there was a problem? He grinded his teeth together, took a deep breath and looked at those blue eyes. They gazed at him with concern, wrinkles on her forehead and he knew his friend didn't have a quirk that could read minds.

Being honest was what friends do, right? And he did consider Uzumaki to be his friends.

"You wouldn't have gotten hurt if I never got close to you," Uzumaki blinked and Shouto looked down at his hands. "I always seemed to hurt people and what happened in USJ—"

"It wasn't your fault, Todoroki." He blinked and the blond-haired girl stared at him. "You think just because we became friends, that this happened? I got hurt in USJ because I was a reckless idiot who didn't think what her actions would make everyone feel. It isn't your fault so please don't blame yourself."

It was a lot easier said than done. All he could ever think about was that the moment Uzumaki acknowledged him as a friend, she got herself hurt. His mother got hurt, then Touya and now it was his friend. Maybe none of this would have happened if he just continued with his self-imposed rule.

He shook his head. "If I had just—"

"Todoroki, I do a lot of stupid things so you wouldn't have change anything." Uzumaki smiled. " This isn't a Todoroki curse thing— it is an Uzumaki curse thing. So you aren't cursed."

"I really do think that I'm cursed, Uzumaki! It is a Todoroki curse."

"No way in hell am I calling what happened the Todoroki curse! I'm the one that got hurt so it is going to be called the Uzumaki curse!"

**~X~**

**A/N:** **Please tell me your thoughts about this chapter and what could be improved about the chapters and the story in general. What do you think of the development of the story so far? Of the relationships between the characters?**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

A week passed since Naruto informed him of her situation and only now Jiraiya reached the hospital that Naruto was currently staying in. He went through almost every hospital in the city, searching for his godchild. All of them replied they didn't have an Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya wondered if his goddaughter believed that it would be easy for him to find her.

Not even that blasted landlord knew which hospital Naruto was in. What was the point of paying the man, not just for rent but also to keep an eye on Naruto, if he didn't even know which hospital Naruto was in. Jiraiya slammed the doors open and charged straight towards the receptionist. This had to be the hospital that Naruto was in.

"Hello, do you have a patient named Uzumaki Naruto?"

The receptionist blinked but did not say a word. She just looked down at her computer, tying down a couple of letter and chewed on her bottom lip. Normally he would try to make a couple of moves but Jiraiya needed to find out if Naruto was here. He needed to know if his godchild was here before resuming his search again for the girl.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" Jiraiya swirled his head around and blinked at the sight of a doctor. Purple eyes grew large at the sight of him. "Wait aren't you Jiraiya? The author of the Icha-Icha series? I love—"

"We can talk about my books later! Is my goddaughter here?"

"Right! Uzumaki-san!" The doctor laughed nervously and pulled his collar as the receptionist shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Before I take you to see Uzumaki-san, I need to inform you about the injuries that your goddaughter sustained in the attack."

Black eyes widened. "Attack? What attack? She didn't tell me anything about an attack!"

That girl was definitely her mother's child because this was a Kushina's move, not a Minato's move. He always presumed Naruto started a fight, not the fact that Naruto got attacked. Jiraiya grinded his teeth as the doctor sweated, pulling his collar to the side as several male doctors and patients slowed down to see him.

"A couple of villains attacked Yuuei High," the doctor explained. "Uzumaki-san was the only one that got severely wounded in the attack."

Attack? Severely wounded? That girl had some explaining to do because she made it seem like she got into a fight. Of course this was Naruto that he was talking about. If his godchild snapped out of it then Naruto didn't want to worry him. He sighed. When would the girl get it through her head that he had the right to worry for her? Not just as her 'guardian' but as her teacher.

Jiraiya shook his head and pressed his lips into a thin line. "How severely wounded are we talking about?"

"The villain managed to punch a hole through her stomach," the doctor admitted.

Jiraiya grinded his teeth, balled his hands into a fist and kept quiet as the doctor continued to list out the injuries Naruto sustained. How the hell was a person able to land a hit against Naruto? His godchild could easily handle a criminal here so how could someone hit her? And Naruto not able to block? That was really concerning because Naruto was naturally gifted with super strength.

He rubbed the side of his head and darted his eyes to the various people surrounding him. Several people had ears of various animals while a few had horns growing out of the side of their faces or various parts of their bodies. Some of the patients looked normal while a few patients had skin colours that didn't fit the norm. It was easy for a person to blend in this part of the world, so was it possible that a shinobi attack her?

It had to be the only explanation because Jiraiya refused to believe that his godchild could have been defeated by a civilian.

"We weren't even sure if Uzumaki-san was going to pull through," the doctor grimaced. "The wounds she sustained would have killed an ordinary person, but your goddaughter pulled through."

Jiraiya smiled and darted his eyes to the various patients being helped by either the nurses or by their family members and friends. Had his godchild been alone throughout the whole process? The thought built the guilt in his stomach like it always did whenever Jiraiya thought about the little girl that he chose to leave behind in Japan.

"Did she have anyone else visit her?" Jiraiya asked.

It really made his stomach turn at the thought that Naruto staying in the hospital without anyone visiting her. In Konoha, there had been the reassurance of her childhood friend: Hinata but he had no clue here. The landlord told him that Naruto spent more time working, more time alone than making friends.

He looked up to the ceiling, praying to God that his goddaughter had at least made one friend in this country.

* * *

"Naruto-neechan! This is Hana!"

Naruto smiled as Eri raised up a purple-haired doll to her and handed her a doll. It was a pretty doll with its straight long hair and bright blue eyes, looking almost delicate. Children probably liked delicate things but she would never know. She didn't actually understand the appeal of dolls, not when they looked so thin and had the perfect body proportions. She twirled it around.

"Hana is a pretty name."

_Knock._

Everyone turned their body around as the door slid open and her doctor and Jiraiya stepped in. Black eyes focused on her and Naruto shifted to the right, blue eyes avoiding the concern and furious eyes of her teacher. It didn't need to be stated that he found out about the extent of her wounds, it was just said by the way he kept looking at her with disappointment.

"I presume that you are Uzumaki's guardian," Aizawa stood up from his seat and pressed his lips into a thin line. No smile decorated his face and his eyes held only pure irritation at the sight of her godfather. It was kind of sweet that Aizawa cared this much about her, but it was her fault. Naruto balled her hands into a fist.

Jiraiya nodded. "And who might you be?"

"I am her homeroom teacher." Aizawa darted his eyes from her to Eri and then back to Jiraiya. The white-haired man stiffened his back, looking almost guilty as the black eyes of her teacher looked at him with anger and frustration. It didn't really surprise Naruto because her teacher was probably a master of making anyone feel guilty. Naruto darted her eyes to Jiraiya.

The man focused his eyes on her and searched her eyes like he was trying to find something. She rubbed the back of her neck, avoiding his concern eyes and suddenly found an interest in one of Eri-chan's dolls. Anything was better than looking at his disappointed eyes.

"Eri, why don't we leave Uzumaki and her guardian to talk?" Naruto swirled her head at her teacher. The man seemed to focus entirely on the frowning Toad Sannin, lips pressed into a thin line. "You can play with Uzumaki after her guardian and her have their talk."

The white-haired girl pouted, dragged her feet away from the bed and made her way to stand beside her foster father. Naruto sighed, hanging her head down and barely heard that Aizawa saying something to Jiraiya. Everything just seemed to be muffled in her ears as her brain tried to think of what to say to the man that brought her to this country. Did she start with an apology? Or make some kind of joke? She tugged her hair and stared at the solemn white-haired man.

Jiraiya sat down on the chair as Aizawa closed the door, leaving the teen and the adult alone in the room with no way of escaping from their talk. Not that Naruto wanted to escape, because they needed this. In the few years they were apart, Naruto never really talked about anything. Naruto sucked in a deep breath, stretching her ribs till it cracked.

"I am sorry."

Jiraiya blinked. "Sorry? What are you sorry for?"

"For saying that you only sent me here because you didn't care about me and that you just wanted to make sure no one wants to take the monster away," Naruto admitted. "For telling you to leave me alone and that your job with me is done."

The Toad Sannin took a seat on the chair and regarded her. No emotions shone through his eyes, almost making it seem like he had a mask over him and it was weird. Before things went to hell for her, Naruto could always count on the man to have some silly expression playing on his face or some joy in his eyes. She nibbled her lips and took a deep breath.

"If anyone should be apologizing then it should be me," Naruto blinked as her mentor took a deep breath and focused his eyes on the television screen. "I shouldn't have left you alone in a foreign country even if you begged me."

"Ero-Sennin?"

The white-haired man took a deep breath. "I knew you were deeply hurt by Tsunade's words but we just thought that you could see the bigger picture and I knew you were in no state to be left alone. I should have just ignored your wishes and stay with you."

"If you had stayed, I woulda make your life difficult." Jiraiya curled his lips into a smile as the blond-haired girl tucked her blond hair to the side. She flickered her eyes to the window as the birds flew out of their nest, zooming through the sky without a care in the world.

"It would have been worth it to make sure that you didn't do anything stupid."

Naruto didn't even smile at his words. "I really wasn't in my best state, was I?"

"You worried Tsunade and me with how upset you were to fail the mission," Jiraiya admitted. "And it got even worse when Tsunade exiled you. You didn't even wait to hear what she had to say and you didn't even try to hear my explanations for her actions."

"I accused you with siding with the Old Hag because you are deeply in love with her," Naruto muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. She avoided his eyes, only pressed her lips into a thin line and finding a sudden new found interest in the blank television screen.

Jiraiya sighed. "My feelings to Tsunade would never affect my relationship with you. You are my student, the apprentice that I chose to train, and she is my teammate. Even if I love her, it doesn't mean that I will allow my love to blind me when it comes to you."

"I just thought Tsunade wanted to get rid of me because I failed to bring Sasuke back." Naruto rubbed the back of her neck as her guardian stared at her with concern. She took a deep breath. "A lot of people blame me for not being able to knock some sense into him."

The Toad Sannin sighed. "Naruto, no one blames you for not bringing him back."

"Sakura blamed me," Naruto muttered.

The man pinched his nose and grinded his teeth. "That was only one person, Naruto and I'm going to be honest about your teammate: she doesn't seem to understand you at all. If she understood you then she would know that you gave it your all to bring him back."

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and stared at her teacher. A part of her wanted to say that he was only saying those words because he wanted her to come back to Konoha. She grinded her teeth together as more thoughts rushed into her mind. No, the man cared for her.

He came here when she asked him to come.

"I'm sorry."

Jiraiya ruffled her hair. "You can apologize again when we get you discharge to your apartment. As a form of an apology, you should take me out for some ramen."

"Are you paying?" Naruto tilted her head at him.

Her mentor tilted his head, rubbed his chin and deadpanned. "If you are apologizing then you should be paying for my meal."

"Cheapskate."

"I'm teaching you—"

"—Bullshit! You are making a poor student pay for your meal again!"

Even though they were arguing like this, Naruto had a large smile playing on her lips and she thought that maybe just maybe that things between them were going to be okay. Now all she needed was for Ero-Sennin to sign her out of here.

* * *

Aizawa sipped on his coffee as his black eyes fixated at the solemn eyes that belonged to Uzumaki' Guardian. The two of them sat in the mostly empty cafeteria, their arms folded against their chest as they sized each other up. The other visitors stared at them, lips pressed into a thin line and sweat dripping down their faces.

"Thank you for looking after her."

The Pro Hero blinked at the sight of the rather tall, older male bowing down to him. The irritation inside of Aizawa grew slightly as several hurtful words tried to claw its way out of his throat, but the male swallowed it down. Not the time for him to make a scene but Aizawa really felt tempted.

"It's my job as my homeroom teacher to be there for her." Jiraiya winced at the subtle dig as Aizawa took another sip of his coffee. The bitterness clung to his tongue, forcing him to bottle down the anger that seemed ready to erupt. He slammed the coffee cup on the table, rattling the spoons set on the table.

Jiraiya took a deep breath. "I know that I should have been there for Naruto."

"You left a _15_-year-old girl to fend for herself." He growled. "It is your responsibility to make sure that she goes to school on time and that she doesn't do anything reckless. You don't just abandon her—"

"I know I shouldn't have abandon her," Jiraiya took a deep breath as his body trembled. The black eyes of Naruto's guardian shone with grief and guilt, making Aizawa loosen his grip on the coffee cup. "But I didn't know what to do with Naruto. She refused to travel with me and didn't trust me enough to think that I care for her."

"Maybe because your actions proved the opposite." Aizawa grunted and Jiraiya blinked. "You think letting her live alone show you care for her? That shows people that you don't care and have no sense of responsibility."

The man winced, pulled his collar and finally hung his head. Jiraiya's broad shoulders tensed up and Aizawa just pressed his lips into a thinner line. A part of him softened because at least the man did seem like he cared for Uzumaki. But then he remembered how Uzumaki was hurt and his anger rose again.

He couldn't stop himself from saying the next couple of words.

"Why do you think it was a good idea not to tell her that you are paying for her rent? Or that her money is going to an account that will open if you die?"

"Have you seen her?" Jiraiya rubbed the side of his head. "Naruto refused to believe that anything I do is because I care for her. If I told her that I am paying for her rent then the brat would just find another place to live and try to pay the money back."

Aizawa grimaced and almost felt tempted to get a bottle of alcohol out. It might be the afternoon but it felt like this might be one of those long, painful days that needed him to have a couple of bottles of sake to survive. He took several deep breaths, before flickering his eyes to the man.

Jiraiya hung his shoulder up, eyes focused anywhere but at him and Aizawa felt another growing headache flying his way. He needed to breath again because anger was not a good face to show to either his foster child or Naruto. The world seemed to grow still as Aizawa regained control of himself. Only Uzumaki could make him feel this way.

"And not putting a phone number for us to reach? What is your reason?" Aizawa questioned and Jiraiya stiffened at those words. "Do you know what your ward has been doing for the last two weeks? Did the landlord tell you that Uzumaki was nearly kidnapped by the Yakuza?"

Jiraiya shook his head and pressed his lips into a thin line. Only curiosity shone through his eyes, there was no concern or fear for what happened to Uzumaki and that made Aizawa want to grind his teeth together and shake the man. Of course, Uzumaki seemed surprise if someone cared for her. Her own guardian didn't seem to give a shit about her.

"You aren't even worried about her."

The man cleared his throat. "I know Naruto and I know that girl can handle a bunch of Yakuza."

_But this isn't the point._ Aizawa grinded his teeth and felt like pulling his hair at the blatant way that the man wasn't voicing out his fears or concerns for the girl. Great, he was confident about Uzumaki but didn't he care if she got wounded? Or went through some terrible acts? He shouldn't be drinking his tea without a care in the world.

"It doesn't matter that she can handle it," Aizawa snapped. "What matters is that you ask about her! That you check up on her and realize when someone needs you. When her parents assigned you as her guardian then it is your responsibility to be there for her as a parent."

Silence reined between them as the man regarded him. Aizawa grinded his teeth, clenched and unclenched his hands as he waited for some words to be spoken. How could anyone think that this man should take care of a child? Aizawa exhaled.

"I know I haven't been a great guardian to her," Jiraiya took a deep breath. "And you're right I have been crappy to that child and that my actions haven't been the best, which is why I plan to stay with her."

Aizawa narrowed his eyes and focused his attention on the man. Sincerety shone through his eyes and the fury in those black eyes flashed before his eyes, reminding him again that the man did care for Uzumaki. He took a deep breath as several thoughts floated through his head. If he had to give back the responsibility to this man, then Aizawa should tell him everything.

He just prayed that the man would actually follow through if his words for Uzumaki's sake.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone who added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"So are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?"

Naruto raised her head from her bowl of ramen, blue eyes blinking as Jiraiya took a sip of his sake. His eyes never left hers as various customers looked up from their menu, their eyes eager to catch a glimpse of her mentor. Even though she knew Jiraiya was famous all over the world for his books, it still makes her blink whenever someone wants to see him.

She shook her head. "What elephant? Won't I notice if there is an elephant in here?"

"That might have been cute when you were twelve but we both know that you aren't dumb," Jiraiya took a sip of his sake as Naruto blinked. A small smile almost played on her lips as the girl stared at the man that she probably could consider her savior.

"I thought I could try."

Jiraiya ruffled her hair. "I probably would have fallen for it if your teacher didn't mention that you got the highest score in your entrance exam to your school."

She nibbled her bottom lip as a pair of black eyes focused on her. No emotions shone through them but from the way he kept glancing at the other high school students, Naruto presumed that he had questions for her. She inhaled a deep breath, straightened her back and waited for the barrel of questions that was definitely going to be thrown her way.

"So you decided to become a Hero," Jiraiya kept his tone light and easy as if they were discussing about the weather then the fact she was drifting away from the path of a shinobi. Naruto chewed on the inside of her cheek, pushing her noodles back and forth as black eyes stared at her with concern.

She gulped down her soda. "I don't know."

Jiraiya blinked and Naruto wondered what he expected her to say. Did he think she knew what she was doing? Did he honestly believe she wanted to remain a kunoichi? She nibbled her bottom lip and waited for him to say something. Was he going to try and convince her to stay a kunoichi? Because it had never been her choice. All the things she done was because of acknowledgment, because she wanted to make her dead parents proud.

"Then why did you join?"

"My teacher thought it would be a waste for me to work in a café full time," Naruto admitted. Jiraiya blinked as the blond-haired girl took a sip of her soda, her lips pushing the glass back and forth. "He says I'm a bright child with a bright future ahead of myself. So he suggested I either become a Hero or a Policewoman."

Jiraiya bobbed his head. "But why a hero?"

"More money I guess," Naruto shrugged. "Maybe because I can fight and rescue people? I don't really know but I just know I like it more than the idea of being a kunoichi."

Silence reined between them as black eyes grew large at her admission. She nibbled her bottom lip as her body tensed up for the words that were definitely going to come. It felt like time was slowing down as her teacher opened and closed his mouth, just staring at her like she was insane. Maybe she was insane but she doesn't want to be a kunoichi.

She never wanted to be a kunoichi for the right reasons.

"You can't stop being a kunoichi, Naruto." Jiraiya lowered his voice and flickered his eyes at the various people coming in and out of the ramen stand. "You might be exiled from Konoha but this hasn't evoked your rights as a kunoichi. If the village is ever in trouble then you need—"

"—And I will," Naruto cleared her throat and inhaled. "But I don't have to be a shinobi to protect the village."

_Death to traitors._

That was one of the shinobi rules they were forced to memorize as kids and Naruto knew she could never kill someone. How could she allow herself to kill someone? Even if they were traitors. She sucked in a deep breath as Jiraiya stared at her with concern. Her heart clenched and her throat burned as the deceased Yakuza members flashed before her eyes.

They did horrible things and she felt like this.

What if Konoha asked her to murder a friend? To murder Sasuke or Hinata? Her throat burned and her hands began to tremble as Jiraiya stared at her with concern.

"Naruto, what's going through your head? Why are you having doubts about being a kunoichi?" Jiraiya frowned. "Didn't you scream to everyone about how you are going to become Hokage? Why the change of heart?"

"The Hokage must put the village first before their own needs," Jiraiya blinked and Naruto took in a deep breath. "They must be willing to sacrifice their life for the village and make decisions even if it breaks their heart—I can't do it."

Maybe this was her definition of Hokage but Naruto doubt that a Hokage could make decisions based on their feelings. Everyone mentioned she failed as a kunoichi and a shinobi, because of her behaviour. It was true because she couldn't make the same decisions like the other shinobi. Instead of keeping quiet during some of their missions, she chose to be loud and flashy. Naruto grimaced and stared down at her food. That should have been her first indicator that she just wasn't cut out for the job.

Jiraiya pressed his lips into a thin line and lowered his voice to the point that she had to stain her ear. "Naruto, I understand where you are coming from but the council won't accept your request. As soon as these six years are up, they will demand that either you come back or they kill you."

Naruto inhaled and exhaled as her jaw clenched at those words. Why must she follow what they want? What about what she wanted? She didn't have the heart of a kunoichi. She cried and still scrubbed her hands with soap every night before she sleep.

"Is there anyway that they would just let me do as I wish?" Naruto closed her eyes.

Jiraiya regarded her. "Tsunade would give it to you with a heartbeat but she isn't the one that you need to convince when our six years are up."

"I have to convince the shinobi council." Jiraiya nodded and pressed his lips into a thin line as Naruto clenched her hands into a fist. Would this have been the scenario if she just simply decided not to be a kunoichi? She grinded her teeth together and clenched her hands into a fist.

Jiraiya grimaced. "The three elders are set in their ways, Naruto and it takes a lot to convince them. When Tsunade requested to leave, Sarutobi-sensei had to remind them that Tsunade had helped them win a lot of wars and provided more medical knowledge than any other medical nin. The least they could do was allow her to grieve in her own way. So if we are going to convince them then you need to do something to that measure."

"Uzumaki-san!"

Naruto blinked and twisted her body around as Togata rushed up to her while a tall man stood behind him. He looked so stoic if you asked her. There wasn't a single smile gracing on his lips nor did his eyes shone with any emotions as Togata rushed towards them with a smile. Jiraiya turned to her, eyebrows raised.

"Friend of yours?"

The blond-haired girl tilted her head, eyebrows scrunched together as she contemplated over what to tell her teacher. _He just wanted to get to know me because I can help him with Amajiki's crush._ Those words were on the tip of her tongue but then she remembered how he visited her. He didn't have to visit her with Nejire.

So maybe he was a friend?

"Yup."

Jiraiya beamed as Togato slowed down to reach them. The older boy hopped into the seat right beside her as the other tall man sighed and took a seat right beside him. Black eyes flickered between her and her teacher while his tall friend frowned, looking at Jiraiya with a thoughtful look. Probably another fan of Jiraiya and his perverted books.

"Hi Togata-senpai." Naruto offered him a tight smile as the ramen stand owner asked her senior for his meal. The boy beamed at her and flickered his eyes from the five empty bowls of ramen piled right in front of her to her mentor.

"Is this your guardian, Uzumaki?" Togato tilted his head and scrunched his eyebrows as Jiraiya flickered his eyes between them.

Naruto nodded. "Togato-senpai meet Ero-Sennin—"

"—How many times have I told you not to call me that in public?"

"Ero-Sennin meet Togato-senpai." Togato laughed nervously while his tall, weird friend kept flickering his eyes from her to her teacher. For someone that seemed stoic, the man seemed awfully amused by the nickname she gave to her teacher.

Togata laughed. "Why do you call your guardian Ero-Sennin?"

"Because his hobbies are acting like a pervert and—"

Several eyes blinked as Jiraiya covered her mouth with his large hand. Naruto raised her eyebrow, brought her hand up to pull it down but the man insisted to keep his hand on her lips. Togata just blinked while his friend looked at her teacher with disgust. Another closet pervert like Ebisu. She nodded as the man flickered his eyes at them.

"Togata, would you like to introduce me to your junior?"

Her senior laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking almost like he got his hand caught in the cookie jar. "Sorry Sir, I just got so excited to see Uzumaki."

The man made no comment and just stared at her, his eyes lingered on her bright blond hair and then fell down to her blue eyes. Yellow eyes seemed to grow larger as if a light bulb came out and that worried her. Naruto darted her eyes to Jiraiya, her hand reaching to pull up her hoodie as the man regarded her.

"Sir Nighteye, this is Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto blinked as her senior waved his hand at her. "Uzumaki meet Sir Nighteye. I'm doing my internship with him."

Naruto tilted her head. "Internship?"

"Right I forgot that you are a first year," Togata muttered. "You know how the Sports Festival is coming up right? And how it is televised all around the world right?"

Naruto plastered a smile and nodded while Jiraiya pressed his lips into a thin line, eyebrows knitted together and his expression turning completely grim. Why was he making that kind of expression? She nibbled her lips and flickered her eyes to the Toad Sannin.

Black eyes flashed with concern and thoughtfulness as his eyes seemed fixated on her. Why was he giving her that look? What was he concern about? It was just some Sport event that the school threw. Even the middle schools did it except it had never been televised on television before.

Did she even remember about it?

Naruto nibbled her lips as she recalled how some of her fellow waiters seemed to have known the name of her seniors, even though it had been their first time in the café. Naruto poked her tongue against her cheek. Okay, so there were certain things that she didn't pay much attention to when it came to socializing with them.

"Well not only does the Sport Festival allows you to show your skills off to the world but it is a chance to impress a hero," Togata bobbed his head. "You need to show everything off if you wanna get an internship offer or else the school will provide for you."

"If I do an internship then I will be doing Hero's work?"

Sir Nighteye shook his head. "It doesn't exactly work like that, Uzumaki-san. Since you are in your very first year of school, you will be given duties that requires you to shadow your hero or help them with duties that won't put you in danger like helping them with rescue operations."

Naruto hummed. "So I will just see what a hero can do, right?"

"That is the point of your internship, yes."

Maybe she would have a better idea of whether or not she wanted to actually become a hero, if she did this whole internship thing.

* * *

**(Next day)**

"Uzumaki, you are back!"

"Are you sure that you should be coming back to school after what happened last week?"

Naruto closed her eyes and forced herself to smile as her classmates hovered over her. Ashido kept glancing at her face while Yaoyorozu kept telling her about how she should take some time off. The boys seemed to be hanging to the side, nodding their heads in agreement as the school bell rang to signal the start of homeroom.

"Everyone go back to your seats!" Iida stood up from his seat and swirled his head at them. "It is improper for us to be outside of our seats when homeroom is about to begin!"

She let out a sigh of relief as her classmates shuffled back to their seats, their heads always turning back to look at her. Naruto offered them a large smile before slumping back to her seat, eyes focused on the door before darting back to Todoroki. Her friend stared at her, head tilted to the side and eyes fixated on her empty desk.

"Your Guardian came?"

Naruto bobbed her head. "Yesterday."

Todoroki regarded her, his eyes fixated on her eyes before moving down to her lips. He bobbed his head as if something about her face confirmed his suspicions, which would be strange because she was still acting the same girl. Maybe not as distant and mistrustful hopefully, but definitely the same.

"You're happy to be out of the hospital."

She snorted. "Would anyone be happy to stay in a hospital for a week? All I could do was watch some boring movie or read some magazines or do homework."

Todoroki nodded. "Did my notes help?"

"You were my savior." Naruto bobbed her head as her brain tried to think of how to thank her friend for saving her the trouble of catching up. Soba noodles would be a way to thank him, wouldn't it? Naruto nodded deeply. Yup it would be her best idea for her friend, although she might need to do some experimenting with it.

"I didn't save you."

Naruto felt her lips twitched as a laugh bubbled its way up her throat. She gulped it down, only offering the boy a tiny smile. "You saved me the headache of trying to catch up with everyone."

Todoroki tilted his head, eyebrows knitted together and finally nodded. He flickered his eyes to her face, lips pressed into a thin line and the smile on Naruto's face faded as a realization dawn upon her. He couldn't possibly still blame himself for what happened, could he? She shook her head.

The door to their homeroom slid open and Naruto tilted her head, eyes flashing with joy at the sight of Aizawa. Compared to yesterday, Aizawa seemed to look a lot better. The dark circles under his eyes seemed less and the bandages that covered his head yesterday, seemed to have completely disappeared.

The only hint of what happened in USJ was the scar peeking through his right eye.

"Good morning." Aizawa made his way to the podium and clicked his heels together. "Now that everyone is here, we can start talking about your next challenge."

"Challenge?" Bakugou grumbled.

"Are we fighting villains?" Mineta cried.

Aizawa shook his head.

"The Yuuei Sport Festival is drawing near!"

The anxious atmosphere changed into excitement as screams and cheers erupted throughout the whole classroom. Naruto flickered her eyes to the window as her mind wandered back to the conversation from yesterday. If she did well then she would get offers to do internship, meaning she might have an idea of whether or not she wanted to be a Hero.

She nibbled her bottom lip as her hands reached for her pockets, where Jiraiya's latest book rested. It was one of the unreleased copies of his books, the one that he wanted her to correct before handing it to his editor. Even if she didn't become a hero or a kunoichi, she could just always be Jiraiya's editor.

Although it wasn't all that fun when the lines were corny.

"Are you okay, Uzumaki?"

Naruto tilted her head and flickered her eyes to Todoroki. "Todoroki, why did you decide to become a Hero?"

Todoroki blinked and tilted his head at her. His eyebrows scrunched together as if this was the first time someone asked him about his reason to be a hero. Maybe it was the first time someone asked him because Naruto doubt his father gave him much choice. He frowned.

"I don't remember."

Naruto blinked. "Your asshole of a father didn't force you to become a hero?"

Todoroki shook his head, knitted his eyebrows together and then regarded her. "Why? Are you having doubts about being a hero?"

"I don't know if I want to be a Hero from the bottom of my heart or if I'm just here for the ride," she admitted, leaning closer to him. Mismatch eyes didn't show any emotions which made her feel warm and grateful, because the thought of him or anyone judging her made her want to frown.

A white scarf zipped through the various students, wrapped itself around Naruto and jerked her back to her seat. She blinked when the scarf loosened to reveal her teacher pressing his lips into a frown, while their various classmates flickered their eyes between her and Todoroki.

"Pay attention you two!" Aizawa barked. "As I was saying, you will gain valuable experience and will gain popularity if a famous hero picks you."

Naruto blinked and frowned, realizing that she missed most of his speech. She darted her eyes to Midoriya, making a mental note to corner her classmate and question him about the speech that Aizawa had given them.

Their teacher straightened his back. "You don't have much time to show those Heroes, your determination and your skills. All of you need to work hard and not mess things up—this event only happens once a year."

If she impressed all the heroes then she would have a whole list to choose, right? That meant she would have a better chance of knowing whether or not she wanted to be a Hero.

* * *

"It is important that you show your skills, Shouto!"

Shouto clenched and unclenched his fist as Enji stood in front of his bedroom door, hands folded against his chest and eyes blazing with determination. Had it been too much for him to hope that the asshole wouldn't talk about it again? Shouto took several deep breaths, calming down his boiling blood.

"I won't use my fire side."

His father didn't growl nor did he ask him why, instead he just narrowed his eyes and looked at him like he was a fool. Shouto clenched his jaw. Nothing in the world would make him use that side of him. He could defeat his opponents by just using his mother's Quirk; not his father's blasted Quirk.

"You won't ever reach the top if you just use one side of your Quirk." Enji took several deep breaths and flickered his eyes around the room. His sapphire eyes avoided him, which suited Shouto just fine because he didn't even want to look at those eyes. He hated those eyes just as much as he despised his own eye.

"Watch me," he narrowed his eyes. "I won't use my fire side."

Enji grinded his teeth. "You won't ever surpass All Might with just your ice."

_Todoroki, why did you decide to become a hero?_

The question floated in his head, nudging him as a pair of eyes flashed before him. Shouto grinded his teeth while the Number Two Hero stared at him like he was somekind of punk. The bastard didn't even try to understand why he doesn't want to use it. He grinded his teeth as his mother's words floated in his ear.

'_He is starting to look more like him._"

He would never use the fire side that belonged to his father.

Enji pressed his lips into a thin line, sapphire eyes turning completely blank as he regarded the second batch of photocopied notes on his table. It had been his plan to hand the notes to Uzumaki yesterday but the bastard cornered him, telling him that they needed to go through some training for the Sports Festival.

"Has your _friend_ been released from the hospital?"

Shouto narrowed his eyes as a sense of dread build upon him. His shitty old man never asked about Uzumaki, always cursed her and blamed her for his behavior which was stupid since Uzumaki didn't affect him in that way. He grinded his teeth, waiting for his father to make some stupid comment.

"Yes."

Enji nodded as his sapphire eyes turned calculating and cold, almost reminding Shouto of the days when the man pushed Touya too far. His father wouldn't plan something underhanded, would he? No, he would never do something like this. Sweat build up around his palms as Shouto prayed that his father wouldn't involve Uzumaki in his scheme.

If he wanted him to surpass All Might then he just needed to beat All Might's child and his father would just leave him and Uzumaki alone.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of Jiraiya and Naruto's relationship so far? What do you think of the rewrite? Does the pace and the storyline seemed to flow more smoothly? And the development of the relationships between characters?**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"Who knew my tomboyish student has a feminine side to her?"

Naruto rolled her eyes as Jiraiya stared down at the scrambled eggs placed on the table. The smell of eggs tickled her nose, almost forcing her to go for another round of breakfast but time was of the essence. In just two hours, school would begin and the last thing Naruto needed was to be late for school again.

So she settled with just drinking some milk. "Don't get used to me cooking breakfast for you."

The Toad Sannin sighed, looking almost disappointed by her answer, but the blond-haired girl took a sip of her milk. A relaxed sigh escaped from her lips and her eyes dropped. It felt so good to taste some milk in the mornining. There was just something about milk which made her shoulders relax.

Jiraiya stopped eating and took a deep breath. "Naruto, do you remember when your senior says how your school's sport festival is watched by the whole world?"

The milk spilled on the table as Naruto tried to steady her arms. Her eyebrows knitted together as her mentor pushed his plate away. Jiraiya clasped his hands together, head hovering above his hand and his black eyes seemed fixated on her own eyes.

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Do you know that the Sport Festival is also seen by everyone in the Elemental Countries?"

She shook her head, kept her expression blank and took another sip of her milk. Jiraiya kept quiet as his eyes seemed fixated on her. One or two times, he tried to open his mouth but Naruto held her hand up as her brain tried to process what he just told her. She could feel the world turning around but Naruto inhaled again.

"Are you asking me to withdraw? To hide myself?"

The Toad Sanin blinked and shook his head. "I am telling you that you need to work your ass off, Naruto. This is your chance to show everyone that you have come a long way from the last time they saw you."

Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and stared at the photo of Team Seven. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and steadied her trembling hands. Was everyone going to see her? Did this mean Hinata was going to find out where she has been the whole time? She inhaled as her breathing grew rapid at the thought of people knowing where she was.

"How can you be certain that they are going to be watching us?" Naruto kept her tone light and even as her lips turned into a fake smile.

Jiraiya grimaced. "Do you know all those wonderful jutsu that you used to beg me to teach you?"

"Yeah."

"Well how do you think some of them came to be?" Naruto blinked as Jiraiya pushed himself forward, his eyes didn't shine with his usual joy. It didn't even shine, it looked more like empty pits and it made her want to squirm. She sighed and slumped her shoulder.

The Toad Sannin looked at the television screen. "Some of those powerful jutsu were inspired by the Kekkai Genkai seen by the Sports Festival."

"Did you create a jutsu from the Sports Festival?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "I was more busy being jealous that Tsunade was attracted to one of the competitors than taking the chance to go on a date with me. Y'know until we reached our positions, all of us believed that it was some special TV series that only airs once a year."

"That makes no sense." Naruto deadpanned. "Nothing about a Sports Festival can make it a television series."

Her teacher nodded. "It was the only logical explanation that we had for all the technology being shown to us and the different appearances that some of those people had. No one really thought Japan existed."

"So will people think I will be acting in some television series?"

Jiraiya grimaced. "I'm not going to lie to you Naruto, but I don't know what will people think when they see you. You are going to be showing them that Japan and so many other countries exist. There is no telling what your appearance might lead people to think."

She hummed, almost wishing Jiraiya had kept her ignorant of this piece of information, and swirled her milk around. The milk twist and turn as Naruto tried to think of a next question. Until yesterday, she never considered how other people might find out about her whereabouts. She swirled her milk again.

"Does Tsunade know that I'm here?"

The Toad Sannin chewed his eggs for a long time, black eyes closed as Naruto tapped her feet against the table and flickered her eyes to the clock. Ten more minutes and then it would be time for her to scurry to the train.

"I haven't told her that you have been in Japan the whole time, instead of being with me."

Naruto blinked. "What? Why haven't you told her?"

Jiraiya tapped his ears and gestured to the walls around them. "There is always a risk that someone might read her letters and realize what happened to you. So I decided to keep quiet about it but since you are going to be in the Sports Festival…I decided to have one of the toads tell her of the development."

The milk swashed as Naruto laid her glass on the table. Swirls formed around the glass as Naruto's fingers drew patterns. Everyone would be watching her from Tsunade, who would know the truth, to people that she didn't even know. Her lips thinned and she tapped her finger against the glass.

Hinata would be watching her.

'_I don't even want you to talk.'_

"So I need to show people that I have improved, don't I? That you haven't been lying about not being with me in the last two and half years?" Jiraiya blinked and Naruto curled her lips into a grin. "I need to show everyone that Uzumaki Naruto isn't the same girl anymore."

Jiraiya locked his eyes on her. "Which is why I want you to come straight to the mountains near your apartment. You are going to be under intense training for the next two weeks because of this."

As long as Hinata knew she was fine then Naruto would even kiss a dog.

"Oh and I want you to finish editing my book by the end of today."

* * *

_I will need shadow clones to finish editing his stupid book._

Naruto wrinkled her nose, scratched out several characters in Jiraiya's notebook and scribbled down some correction. What was he trying to write? Because nothing about the word sounded right. Naruto scrunched her eyebrows and swirled around to her bagpack. Flipping it open, she pulled out a dictionary and tried to find the perfect word to reflect what Jiraiya attempted to write.

She should be getting paid for this; Jiraiya's handwriting was even more worse than her own handwriting.

The door slid opened, forcing Naruto to look up from the notebook as Midoriya waved. Green eyes shone with hesitance as the blond-haired girl gripped her pencil and locked her eyes on the next sentence of Jiraiya's next book. Scratches echoed throughout the mostly empty classroom. It would just be another twenty minutes before anyone else would come in.

"Hi U-Uzumaki."

Naruto put down her pencil, placed the notebook faced down and looked up at her classmate. He shuffled and shifted, lips curled into a nervous smile as his eyes darted to the notebook that had, until recently, occupied her mind.

"Hi Midoriya."

Her classmate rubbed the back of his neck. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Naruto blinked and tilted her head as Midoriya kept darting his eyes everywhere but at her. Several times he opened his mouth to say something, only to close it when she stared at him. Sometimes, his eyes flickered to her hands and there seemed to be something bothering him as he never spit out what he wanted to say.

Finally, Naruto slapped the table and looked at her classmate. "Spit it out, Midoriya. My head is really starting to get dizzy with all that swaying."

"CanyouhelpmetrainfortheSportsFestivalbecauseyourQuirkseemstohaveasimilarpropertytomyQuirk." Midoriya waved his hand, closed his eyes and Naruto could only blink at him. She scrunched her eyebrows and tilted her head as the hurried words ran from one ear to the next.

"Take a deep breath and speak slower."

Midoriya nodded and took several deep breaths. "Can you help me train for the Sports Festival because your Quirk seems to be a little bit similar to my Quirk."

Naruto blinked, almost taken back at how many words Midoriya could say in just one sitting, and stared at the green-eyed boy. Green eyes shone with hope and the older boy smiled, shifting back and forth as her blue eyes focused on him. She took a deep breath, swallowed down the hurtful words and looked down at her notebook.

"Why me?"

He straightened his back, pulled a chair and fiddled with his fingers. "Because you seem to know how to control your strength and I want to have a chance in the Sports Festival. I don't want to break my arms again."

No smile decorated Midoriya's face and green eyes seemed intently focused on her. She glanced at the door, almost wishing for one of their classmates to arrive early, and then back to the boy. Until the USJ attack, Naruto made sure never to be friends with this kid. He cried too much. He was always too emotional but…

Tears weren't streaming down his eyes and Midoriya had been one of the first people to go to her apartment when she did her detour, or so Todoroki told her.

She loosened her grip on her pencil.

"Alright, we can train together."

Midoriya blinked and bowed. "Thank you so much, Uzumaki."

Naruto waved off his gratitude, her eyes now more focused on the notebook lying on the table. Pale milky eyes flashed before her eyes along with a gentle smile that always brought a sense of warmth to her. She sighed and looked out at the empty grounds, where students seemed to be slowly filing into the campus.

Ero-Sennin was definitely going to kill her for allowing another person to join in on their training session, but Midoriya always seemed to remind her of Hinata in some way.

She could never say no to Hinata.

* * *

It was the end of the school day and Uzumaki still seemed to be immense in her notebook, only putting it away whenever class was about to start or when they were eating. Shouto pressed his lips into a thin line as the girl kept scratching out letters, muttering curses and swears that almost reminded him of another blond in their class.

He wrapped his hands against the strands of his bag, eyebrows scrunched together as Uzumaki kept her head down. This wasn't be the perfect time to warn her against his father, was it? Shouto shook his head. Warning her was a terrible idea since it would bring out more questions. Questions, he didn't even want to answer.

Letting out a sigh, Shouto leaned closer to his friend and scrunched his eyebrows together at the illegible writing that definitely didn't belong to Uzumaki. His frown deepened and his cheeks began to burn a bright shade of red as several words pop into his mind.

"Uzumaki, what are you writing?"

The notebook slammed shut as Uzumaki swirled her head, her cheeks burning a bright shade of red as his mismatch eyes focused on hers. Blue eyes darted everywhere but at him as her hands scurried to hide the book from behind her back.

"Are you feeling sick, Uzumaki?" Shouto shifted closer to her as Uzumaki flushed a brighter shade of red, almost resembling a strawberry. Was she sick? Shouto laid his hand on top of her forehead and knitted his eyebrows together at the lack of heat coming from her forehead. "You don't seem sick."

"Sick?" Uzumaki blinked and then bobbed her head, letting out a high-pitch laugh. "Ya, I'm sick."

Shouto bobbed his head. "Do you want me to help take you to the doctor?"

Their classmates paused and swirled their heads at them, lips curled into bemused looks as whispers broke out in the classroom. Uzumaki furiously shook her head and she exhaled several times until the blush slowly died down and a small smile played on her lips.

It looked really different from her usual smiles.

"Thank you for worrying, Todoroki."

The smile slightly widened and bright blue eyes sparkled with warmth, making Uzumaki look even prettier. She did look pretty but her smiles made her look beautiful. He blinked when the peach colour cheeks of his friend turned a brighter shade of red as several of the girls let out sighs and a couple of the boys snickered.

"So Todoroki thinks Uzumaki is beautiful when she smiles." Kaminari grinned.

Shouto blinked while Uzumaki turned an even brighter shade of red. His friend covered her whole face with the only indication that she was still blushing was her red ears. He opened his mouth, only to close it when his friend dropped her hands and swirled her head at their classmate. Her lips seemed curled into a tight smile.

Shouto frowned.

"Todoroki was just joking, Kaminari." Uzumaki declared, puffing her cheeks.

Shouto blinked. "But I wasn't joking, Uzumaki. You do look prettier when you smile and you are still pretty when you don't smile."

Uzumaki gawked at him as her cheeks burned an even brighter shade of red. She twisted her body away from him and her whole body seemed to be trembling, while their classmates flickered their eyes from him to her. Several of the girls giggled while Mineta groaned and looked at him like he was the devil or something.

Did he do something wrong?

"I-I need to go." Uzumaki stuttered, shoving her notebook into her bag. She swung her bag over her shoulder and walked over to Midoriya, who blinked at the whole exchange. Midoriya knitted his eyebrows, looking almost completely surprised at the sight of Uzumaki standing in front of Midoriya's desk.

"If you wanna train with me then you need to pick up your bag and follow me," Uzumaki declared with a false cheer to her tone. Whispers broke out as several people gawked at the revelation that the blond-haired girl and Midoriya were going to train with each other. The only person, who seemed completely bothered and annoyed was Bakugou.

Shouto frowned, almost feeling uncertain of what to feel about Uzumaki and Midoriya training together so near to the Sports Festival.

"Y-Yes." Midoriya stood up and scrambled to put all his stuff into his bag, growing more and more flustered as Uzumaki tapped her feet against the floor.

Shouto glanced at his watch and released a sigh when he saw that it was nearly time for him to go back home to train. Taking a deep breath, he stood up from his seat and made his way to the front of the door but only to find Uzumaki and Midoriya blocking his way.

Rather, it seemed like a group of students were crowding outside of their classroom and staring at them with eyes filled with curiosity and determination. In the front of the crowd was a purple-haired boy who looked like he didn't have any sleep if his eyebags were of any indication. Shouto flickered his eyes at Uzumaki and raised his eyebrow at the sight of her stiffened back.

"So you are the girl that defeated those Villains? You don't look like much."

Shouto narrowed his eyes and took a step forward while the students in their class narrowed their eyes at the boy. Uzumaki held her hand up, swirled her head at him and her blue eyes warned him not to open his mouth. He nodded, letting out a sigh and wondered what Uzumaki was going to do.

"And you look like one good punch will be enough to knock you out."

Everyone blinked at those words and Shouto could almost hear the taunt leaking in his friend's voice. The guy must have really hit a sore topic for Uzumaki to say this. Midoriya swirled his head back and stared at him like he wanted him to do something about the girl.

"You are arrogant." The purple-haired boy declared.

"I'm confident," Uzumaki corrected. "Don't judge me just because of how I look."

The purple-haired boy narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't be so confident if I were you. If you or any of the kids in the Hero Course fail then you can be transferred out of the program and the reverse can happen to the other kids in the other course."

Uzumaki balled her hands into a fist and Shouto blinked when he caught a glimpse of Uzumaki turning her lips into a smirk. "Aren't you a cocky son of a bitch. You think I don't know what you're trying to do? If you want to declare war against us then the declaration is accepted. Now get the hell out of my way so we can get some training."

Silence reined throughout the classroom until…

"She is acting like Bakugou!"

"We don't need a second Bakugou!"

* * *

"Why did you bring someone with you, Naruto?"

Naruto shoved her hands into her pockets as Jiraiya put his hands on his hips as Midoriya blinked and flickered his eyes from her to the white-haired man. Questions seemed to be burning in his eyes as he kept darting his eyes from her to the irritated Toad Sannin.

"Uzumaki, who is this?"

Jiraiya opened his mouth, only to close it when Naruto tossed his notebook back at him. He blinked and sighed, understanding her silent request that he checked over her edits and let her do the introduction for Midoriya. There was no way in hell that she would allow him to humiliate her in front of a classmate, even if she found his introduction to be silly and funny.

"You wanna get strong, right?" Midoriya nodded and Naruto fixated her eyes at her giggling mentor. "You wanna me to help you get some control of your Quirk, right? Well my guardian can give you some idea of what to do since he seemed to be good in the whole teaching thing."

He did help her win the match against Neji and Naruto knew she wasn't the most easiest student to teach.

Jiraiya looked up from his book and pressed his lips into a thin line. "I am not training him."

"Midoriya works hard Ero-Sennin," Midoriya blinked his eyes at the nickname while Jiraiya's eyebrows twitched at the name. Naruto focused her attention on her classmate. "And he is great with analysis and thinks more carefully. If he is trained properly then he might pose a challenge."

Jiraiya raised his eyebrow. "That doesn't convince me to train him."

"Just give him a chance, Ero-Sennin."

Midoriya flickered his eyes from her to her teacher, green eyes widening at her words. He took a deep breath and bowed so low that his head was only an inch away from hitting the ground. Jiraiya blinked at the action. Naruto could only frown at him.

"Please sir, I want to be strong."

Jiraiya stared at him for a good couple of seconds, his black eyes didn't reveal his emotions. The white-haired man pressed his lips into a thin line and darted his eyes at her, faltering when Naruto largened her bright blue eyes at him. He let out a sigh and bobbed his head.

"Your classmate is going to be trained differently from you, Naruto." The two teens blinked as Jiraiya let out a sigh and focused his eyes at the smiling teen. Naruto tilted her head, almost completely taken back at how easy it was to convince him. She expected him to protest more, not to give in so easily.

"Tell me what's your problem, kid."

Midoriya blinked and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well I struggle to dial back down the power of my Quirk."

"Why is that a problem?"

The green-haired boy stiffened and then shifted back and forth, almost reminding Naruto of those rocking horses that she had seen in toy store. "Because I keep breaking my arms or my legs whenever I use it."

Jiraiya hummed and took a seat on the ground. "So you need to dial it down to a point where you don't hurt your body?"

Naruto knitted her eyebrows together and frowned when the white-haired man clasped his hands together. Her mentor looked up at the sky, looking almost thoughtful and sweat began building around Naruto's palms. She wondered if Jiraiya planned to do something reckless like he did with her.

"You aren't going to make him experiment with his Quirk, are you Ero-Sennin?"

Jiraiya scratched his chin and shook his head. "The only reason I make you experiment and give you abstract ideas to work with is because you are a kinesthetic learner. Midoriya isn't like you."

"W-What makes you say that?" Midoriya tilted his head and his fingers seemed to be itching to take out a notebook to take notes. Naruto regarded her teacher as a question burned on the tip of her tongue. How could her teacher figure out from just looking at him? Jiraiya wasn't that sharp.

Jiraiya offered them a sad smile and looked up at the sky. "I taught a lot of students in my lifetime kid and you reminded me of a student that I had."

Midoriya blinked as Naruto realized which student Jiraiya had to be talking about. There was only one student who could bring out that expression from him. But how did Midoriya remind him of the Fourth? The Fourth had been so cool while Midoriya was just normal.

"Now this student was a genius, don't get me wrong but he couldn't learn immediately from experience," Jiraiya took a deep breath and tapped his finger against his notebook. "He always needed a lot of clues and guidance when it came to figuring out solutions."

Naruto folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. "And why do you give this guy clues and guidance but make me try to figure out on my own?"

"Because you learn from doing things," Jiraiya deadpanned and the blond-haired girl frowned at his response while Midoriya stared at them with surprise. "This guy couldn't do it like that. Sure he was a genius but he doesn't learn from just doing things. This guy needed to see things and be explained before he can replicate the results."

Well that explained everything.

"But how did you know that Uzumaki learn like that?" Izuku asked.

Jiraiya smiled and stared at the curious blond-haired girl. "My friend's student was a lot like Naruto and the way her teacher guided her was to make her experience things for herself. The words just floated out of her head but if given something to do with the explanation then she caught on quick."

Midoriya nodded and hesitantly asked. "S-So you will help me?"

The Toad Sannin sighed. "I came here to train one brat and now I ended up with two brats. You know I just need one more brat and I will have another team."

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N:** I want to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

**(**_**Two weeks later)**_

Naruto blinked when she caught sight of the food on the table.

She forced herself to wake up early in order to prepare breakfast for herself and Jiraiya. Some miso ramen had been the plan for her. Streaming miso ramen always helped to make her whole body relax, but making ramen took time and effort. Not once did she imagine Jiraiya would wake up before her, get his ass off from the spare bed and make breakfast for her.

"You cooked all this?" Naruto's eyes darted to the steamed rice, miso soup and then to the soy beans displayed on her usual seat. Right beside those food was some grilled fish as well as a couple of vegetables, which made Naruto wrinkle her nose. Jiraiya nodded, beaming and puffing up his chest like he was proud of himself.

"Yup," Jiraya bobbed. "Since today is the day of your Sports Festival then it is only natural that you have a healthy breakfast, instead of your usual bowl of ramen and eggs."

Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and took a seat on the chair. When the two of them had been on the road, they stayed in the inns where breakfast was paid for them. Until yesterday, she had been the one cooking food for them and now Jiraiya made breakfast for her. But why? Why did he make food for her instead of waiting for her to cook it for him? She took in a deep breath.

"Why did you cook for me?"

Jiraiya smiled. "Because you need to eat healthy before big events and I know from watching you that you have a habit of making ramen before your big days."

Blue eyes widened and her throat tightened at the gesture made by her mentor. She took several deep breaths, offered him a smile and began to dig in. The fish was a bit overcooked and maybe the rice could have been cooked better, but it was probably one of the most delicious meals Naruto ever had. It would never compare to ramen, but the gesture behind it just made the food even tastier in her eyes.

"So are you nervous for today?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto reached out for her milk.

Naruto stiffened and she withdrew her hand away from the carton of milk. Nervous? About what? The fact that everyone was going to be watching her and her every move. Was she a little bit torn over at the fact that the Elemental Countries were going to be watching her every move? Of course not. Her hands trembled even more and Naruto forced herself to take a deep breath.

"Why would I be nervous?"

Jiraiya raised his eyebrow. "You spent the whole night yesterday, practicing for some speech."

"Aizawa-sensei said that because I got the highest score for the Entrance Exam that I need to do some athlete oath," Naruto avoided Jiraiya's knowing eyes and focused on the blank television screen. "There is nothing for me to be nervous about…I am more than capable of winning the whole thing."

She didn't trust him enough to tell him about her worries.

The Toad Sannin pressed his lips into a thin line and regarded her. "You are going to do great, Naruto and I'm not saying this because I trained you…but because you always give it your all in a match."

Naruto forced herself to smile and bobbed her head at him. That wasn't what concern her about today. What should she say in television? So many eyes would be upon her and this was her chance to be remembered. Should she make her usual smile? People would be reassured if she smiled, and there was only one person she needed to reassured, today.

'_I don't need you to talk, Naruto.'_

"Are you going to be watching me today? Or are you going to attempt to sneak a peek at the bathhouses again?"

Her mentor didn't smile at her joke, instead his eyes seemed fixated on her and the smile playing on her lips. It felt almost like he was seeing through her as if he knew what exactly was bothering her today, but Jiraiya probably didn't know. He probably wouldn't understand what significant for her. Unlike her, he never had people hating him for something out of his control.

He didn't have people that wanted to see him fail.

"I'm going to be cheering you and that Midoriya on," Jiraiya declared. "But between the two of us, I'm going to be cheering harder for you."

She blinked. "Me? But you kept comparing Midoriya to the Fourth Hokage. Wouldn't you want to cheer for him more?"

"I would like to say I'm gambling on you but that would be lying," Jiraiya shrugged his shoulder. "Just because I kept comparing him to the Fourth, doesn't mean I favour him more. I helped train him because _you_ ask me to do it, but I _trained_ you because _I chose_ you."

"Didn't I beg you to train me for the Chunin Exams?"

"I didn't have to agree to your demands."

Naruto smiled at those words and looked at the photo of the Third Hokage. Had it really been nearly three years since Jiraiya trained her in the Chunin Exams? Nearly three years since the man, who she considered to be like her grandfather, was murdered by the man that took away her teammate? The two photos standing side by side was the perfect symbolism of the two worlds that Naruto now lived in.

The past and maybe the future.

"Ero-Sennin, are you disappointed that I chose to disregard the future that I originally wanted for myself? The Third…would he understand?"

She didn't dare ask about her parents, not when Jiraiya didn't know them

"The Third would have understood your reasons." Jiraiya sighed. "The Third always saw the members of Konoha as family and he always cared about their well-being. He would have wanted to see you happy and if you chose this as your path…then he would have supported you."

'_But did he ever love me like his granddaughter? He didn't congratulate me when I won my match against Kiba.'_

Naruto shook her head and inhaled deeply. This was not the time for her to remember those days and begin to have resentment over her past. It was because of these thoughts that Aizawa-sensei believed she had trust issues. She didn't have them. She really didn't have any trust issues, even if a part of her did wonder if Jiraiya was sincere with her.

Even if a part of her wonder if the Third Hokage ever looked past the monster that stole his wife away and saw her as Uzumaki Naruto, the little girl that always wanted some attention.

"You're going to knock 'em dead, Naruto."

Those weren't the words that she wanted to hear but Naruto would accept Jiraiya's words of encouragement.

* * *

"Why the hell are you sitting beside me, Whiskers?"

Naruto looked up from her phone and blinked at the sight of a scowling Bakugou. Red eyes gleamed with irritation as he shoved his right hand into his pocket while his other hand gripped his sports bag like it was his weapon. Even though the bag just probably contained their gym outfits and not his costume. Aizawa-sensei made it clear to them that they weren't allowed to wear their costumes. Naruto flickered to her own bag before glancing at their fellow passengers.

All around them, the passengers seemed to be flickering their eyes at them and stared at them like they were some form of celebrities. In a way, they were going to become celebrities. In the next couple of hours, they would be showing their skills to the world and the thought of that made her tremble in both excitement and nerves.

"I didn't even know I was sitting beside you, Explosive Head." Naruto declared. She kept her voice cheerful and made sure to plaster a smile on her face, which served the older boy to scowl even harder at her. He stood up from his seat, red eyes darting to all the seats and even to the barely empty glimpses of handles on the train. Despite being so early in the morning, there were still so many people in the train.

Were all of them going to the Sports Festival?

"Stupid bastards took all of the seats," Bakugou grumbled, dropping down to his seat. He placed his legs on top of the seat in front of him, not bothering to look apologetic when the passenger in front of them swirled his head at him. Bakugou's response? He gave them a scowl and the middle finger before pulling out his phone.

"You shouldn't be rude to them."

Bakugou snorted. "I don't give a fuck about what those people think."

Naruto rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. The world seemed to be spinning and loud or maybe it was the way her fellow passengers kept talking to each other with the occasional glance thrown at their direction. Were these people going to bet on her? Or would they bet on Bakugou and the other boys? She curled her lips into a tight smile and clutched her trembling hands, trying and failing to steady them.

Bakugou darted his eyes at her and his eyes seemed focus on her hands. There was a scowl playing on his lips as the boy swirled his head at her. "Stop your damn trembling, Whiskers! It is giving me a damn headache."

"I'm not trembling!" Naruto snapped.

He rolled his eyes. "Didn't picture you as a Scaredy cat."

'_Are you afraid…scaredy-cat?'_

Naruto grinded her teeth together and narrowed her eyes at the scowling boy. Her breathing grew rapid as people stopped their chatting and swirled their heads at them, their eyes eager to see a fight brewing between the two teens. How dare he call her that? She wasn't scared of anything…well maybe ghosts. Ghosts were terrifying ideas, but she definitely was not scared of some Sports Festival and what it might mean for her. She forced herself to smile at him.

"I'm not fucking scared of some Sports Festival, Explosive Head."

Bakugou snorted. "Scared? Oh I know you ain't terrified, you are fucking nervous for no reason. You have nothing to be worried about."

He looked away from her as a scowl played on his lips. All Naruto could do was just stare at him with knitted eyebrows, trying to make sense of his words. Why the hell would he think she has nothing to worried about? Because she scored higher then him. Naruto furiously shook her head and looked down at her hands. There were just so much for her to be nervous about and it wasn't the idea that she would lose in the Sport Festival.

That part was just impossible.

She came too far for her to be defeated by her classmates, but what if something terrible happen because of her actions? What if Hinata doesn't see that she changed? A toad should have been sent to tell her but Naruto was a coward. She didn't trust Hinata to understand her actions or about her desires. Her best-friend saw her at her worst yet she might just leave her. Hinata might just abandon her if she knew Naruto doesn't plan to come back.

No one could be that understanding to her desire.

"I'm not fucking worried about anything."

Bakugou snorted. "Do you take me for an idiot? My scores for the Entrance Exam should speak volumes. I scored higher than you in the damn written paper."

"It doesn't matter because I am not worried about anything! Also, I beat you in the Practical Exam!" She folded her arms against her chest as a righteous smirk played on her lips. The blond-haired boy scowled, red eyes narrowed and Naruto knew it was petty for her to remind him that he scored lower than her. Unlike her, Bakugou didn't have any experience with fighting. The fact he scored so high with just battle points, spoke volumes of his talent as a fighter.

"I will beat you in the damn Sports Festival," Bakugou clicked his tongue. "And what happened in the Practical Exams was just a fluke. If I had fucking known that they were testing for the rescue points then—"

"Heroes also rescue," Naruto deadpanned. "It shoulda been obvious for a genius like you."

The blond-haired boy scowled. "On a job but not on a damn exam. Why the hell should I rescue them? Heroes need to defeat the damn villains in order to save people. Villains are the damn reason that people need to be save; get rid of them and you fix the damn problem."

Naruto regarded her scowling classmate and stared out at the passing scenery. The streets of the city were beautiful if one liked artificial things but not every beautiful thing was a good thing. Gardens were beautiful too but there were weeds that needed to be snip or else it ruined the beauty of them. You could always cut the weeds, but you could never get rid of them. It was the same for Villains. Bakugou could defeat as many villains as he could, but he could never get rid of them.

Villains would always exist because no one knew what caused them. What was a villain? And what was a hero? Maybe heroes were heroes but to villains, heroes were the villains of their narrative. Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and shook her head. Why the hell was she thinking about this? She needed to focus on the damn Sport Festival.

She needed to focus on making a name for herself.

* * *

Her entire class was already dressed in their gym uniforms and were now gathered in the waiting room before the festival was supposed to start. Everyone seemed to be either relaxing, chatting or trying to calm down their own nerves. Naruto was just in her own world with her eyes fixated on the speech that she prepared herself for. She flickered her eyes to Todoroki and frowned when she saw the furrowed eyebrows and intense eyes.

Her friend had been acting strange for the last week. He had been avoiding eating her and seemed more fixated on returning home to do his training then talking to her. It probably was nothing for her to fret about but Naruto also knew this wasn't his behaviour. He always asked about her well-being and always checked up on her.

"Todoroki, is everything okay?"

The mismatch boy barely acknowledged her and just fixated his eyes on Midoriya. Anger and resentment shone through those mismatch eyes, almost reminding her of their first week in Yuuei. Naruto chewed on her bottom lip, took a deep breath and crumbled up the speech that she prepared for today. What was the point of practicing a speech when Todoroki looked like he was going to start a fight soon?

She was the type to start fights, not Todoroki.

"Todoroki, what is bothering—"

"We aren't friends today," Naruto blinked as everyone swirled their heads at them. Blue eyes hardened as mismatch eyes showed her nothing but anger and hatred. But did he hate her? Or was he looking through her and seeing someone else? She clenched her hands into a fist. "We are competitors trying to win a competition."

This wasn't Todoroki talking to her because Todoroki was a nice, oblivious boy that always seemed to give a shit about her. Naruto had been rude to him, intentionally insulted him and even goaded him but not once had Todoroki acted like an asshole to her. She grinded her teeth and narrowed her blue eyes at him while everyone glanced at them with confusion.

Naruto dropped all smiles. "You know Todoroki, I expected this kind of shitty behavior from Bakugou but not from you."

Izuku stood up from his seat and walked over to her. His hands reached out to her, but Naruto moved out of his way and charged straight at her stone-faced friend. Everybody glanced at each other in silence as the cheerful atmosphere shifted to an atmosphere that was so tense, a knife could cut through it.

"Uzumaki…"

Naruto forced herself to smile at him and yanked him by the collar so that his mismatch eyes could see her. A month ago, she probably would never give a shit about him because she thought she had Todoroki all figured out. But the asshole kept coming back with his constant checking up on her. He kept digging his way under her skin to the point that Naruto couldn't get rid of him. When the asshole decided to become her friend then he needed to understand what the hell he was getting himself into.

She was going to make it clear to him.

"Listen to me, asshole." She kept her voice low and a tight smile played on her lips as everyone shifted in their seats. "You think I don't know a fucking thing about you? Something has been bothering you for the past week and I haven't asked you shit, because I put it down as stress for the damn Sports Festival. But clearly something has been bothering you and eating you alive, because this isn't _you._"

Todoroki avoided her eyes and Naruto felt the temptation to pull her hair out. Why was he acting like this? If he considered them to be friends then he would tell her things. She took a deep breath and locked her bright blue eyes on the avoiding eyes of her friend. Her hands itched to make him look at her and the words seemed stuck on her throat.

She didn't like what was happening between them and Naruto always lashed out when she was angry.

"Uzumaki, it make sense that—"

"Really? Or did something happen at home for you to act like a shitty person, Shouto-_kun_?" Mismatch eyes flared with annoyance and anger as everyone gulped at the argument brewing between the two friends. "Did Daddy dearest say something again? Is that it? And you decide to take it out on me?"

"Uzumaki, this isn't about it."

"Then fucking talk about it!" She yelled. "I'm not a damn mind-reader and friends talk about their problems, but how the hell can I help you if you don't talk about it? None of us are your punching bag today, so get your head out of your ass and start telling me about what the hell is bothering you."

Todoroki pressed his lips into a thin line, mismatch eyes flared with anger and Naruto dropped her hands. She clicked her heels together and resumed her seat on the chair, kicking her legs back onto the chair as Todoroki went to the other side of the room. Everyone parted ways, their eyes shone with concern at the sight of the two friends not sitting with each other.

Naruto ignored her fretting classmates and focused her blue eyes on the streaming rage that was Todoroki.

She knew now what she was going to say to the cameras now and had another goal for the Sports Festival. Winning the whole thing wasn't important to her, not when her friend seemed to be hurt over something. No, Naruto was not going to allow him to wallow in his anger and hatred during this Sports Festival.

She was going to find out what the hell was bothering him.

* * *

"Your student representative is from Class 1A: Uzumaki Naruto!"

Whispers broke out as Naruto made her way through the parted path made by her fellow students. Her blue eyes focused on the podium right in front of her, occasionally glancing at Todoroki. The mismatch boy didn't say anything, only focusing his mismatch eyes on her back and Naruto was going to give him a good yelling when they were done with the Sports Festival. Shitty father or not, this type of behavior was not excusable.

It was almost excusable as saying that it was okay to murder someone because you hated them and the world around them.

Midnight offered her a bright smile and Naruto returned the smile, before clicking her heels together. She turned to the cheering crowds in front of her, blue eyes scanning for any familiar faces in the crowds. There was a red-haired man sitting beside a man with hawk wings and across them seemed to be Todoroki's Dad. His eyes seemed fixated at her, almost like daring her to say something reckless. Her eyes went upwards and widened at the sight of Jiraiya.

The Toad Sannin was standing in the stadium, lips curled into a smile and Naruto forced herself to relax.

"I know I should be saying some bullshit about how I promise we are going to respect and follow the rules," Naruto began. Silence reined as everyone shifted in their seats, almost looking uncertain of what she was about to say. She focused her eyes on the camera and forced herself to smile widely. "But I ain't going to talk about that shit."

Whispers broke out as Naruto took a deep breath and she focused her attention on Todoroki. Maybe it was stupid of her but even though he annoyed the shit out of her with his rude behavior, she could find some courage when she focused her attention on him. It was probably due to the fact he kept trying to be her friend, even though she acted nasty to him.

Maybe it was because he showed that he cared about her.

"Everyone that has come to this school, came here because we have a dream that we think Yuuei can help us achieve," Naruto shifted her eyes to everyone. "Not everyone here is in the hero course, but they worked their asses off to get here…because getting here isn't easy. We are lucky to be gifted with teachers that care about our mental well-being and physical well-being. They have faith in us when we lost faith in our abilities and capabilities."

She took a deep breath as everyone stared at her with wide eyes.

"I don't know everyone in my year but the people that I do know…they worked so hard for the Sports Festival," she smiled. "And I'm certain that the same can be said to everyone here. If you ask me, anyone is capable of winning this whole thing but what makes Yuuei great is the support that they give us. But it is the support of our friends and families that makes us want to win, because everyone here has something to prove."

'_Just talk to me!"_

Naruto cleared her throat and focused her eyes on the camera.

"Hinata-chan, I don't know if you are watching this but I just want to say that I know I disappointed the shit out of you. But I heard you, loud and clear that day." Everyone blinked and Naruto knew it was stupid and reckless of her to do this, but the guilt was eating her alive. From across her, Jiraiya was blinking and crossing his hands together at her but Naruto ignored it. "And I'm sorry for being a shitty friend to you, but I'm okay now and I'm going to win the whole damn thing."

Groans could be echoed throughout the stadium as several eyes glared at her, but only three sets of eyes stood out to Naruto.

Todoroki almost had a smirk playing on his lips, and Bakugou scowled at her. But amusement and excitement almost shone through his eyes at her declaration of her desire to win the Sports Festival. The last set of eyes were Midoriya. The boy looked excited and nervous about her announcement as he balled his hands into a tight ball.

Naruto couldn't wait for the Sports Festival to begin.

* * *

**A/N:** Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the characters so far? What do you think should be improved about this fic?


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"We are sitting here, guys!"

Chatter echoed throughout the BBQ restaurant. People looking at the menu as they waited impatiently for their favorite entertainment to start. For some strange reason, the Yuuei High Sports Festival was starting later then its usual scheduled time. The screen came to life, and Hinata settled her eyes on the television screen.

Kiba pulled her sleeve and Hinata swirled her head at her teammate. Her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink before returning back to its usual pale colour. She flickered her eyes at the smiling Ino and Sakura before glancing at Shikamaru and Choji, who seemed almost amused at her behavior.

Naruto would have been teasing her like there was no tomorrow and complaining that she should find someone else to like. But her friend always had a smile and a twinkle in her eyes, always silently telling her that she encouraged her feelings for Kiba.

Hinata slid into the booth, landing right beside an exhausted Sakura and sitting across her was Ino. She darted her eyes to the television screen, wishing not for the first time that Naruto was here with them to watch the Sports Festival.

Her best friend would have enjoyed the Sports Festival, probably wishing that she could do the moves that the actors could do. Naruto probably would have been inspired by them, or she would have gotten in a bad mood. For the last two years, they kept having an actor that looked like Sasuke playing in the TV show. Sakura and Ino always got upset at the sight of him, but Hinata worried how Naruto would have reacted.

Sakura and Ino might have a crush on Sasuke, but Naruto had always been trying to act like Sauske's friend.

"We did amazing in our mission, didn't we Hinata?"

Hinata blinked and looked up from the menu when Kiba flashed everyone a grin, tugging her sleeve. Almost all of the members of Team Ten rolled their eyes, letting out a good-natured laugh while Sakura sighed, looking almost disappointed at the reminder that they were going on missions. The pink-haired girl still went on missions, but there was a difference between going on a mission with a team and your _genin_ team.

Hinata pressed her lips and didn't look at Sakura, while Ino frowned at Kiba for bringing out the fact that he had been on a mission with them.

"_Your Class Representative is from Class 1A: Uzumaki Naruto!"_

The joyous atmosphere shifted to a stunned atmosphere as all chatter died down and every single person in the restaurant turned their attentions to the television screen. Crowds of teenagers were gathered around a podium as a familiar blond-haired, whiskered teen walked to the front of the podium.

"D-Did they just say Uzumaki Naruto?" Ino stuttered, breaking the slience between them. "Did they really have someone that looks like her come and act in this show?"

Pale milky eyes focused on the television screen, which seemed to be zooming in on the Class Representative for the first episode of the season. The familiar sight of long straight sunkissed locks tied into a single ponytail that barely touched her ankles sent a flash of hope and concern through Hinata. Whiskers marks decorated her cheeks and the round cheeks of their childhood seemed to have faded into a more heart-shape face.

She looked like Naruto, but could it really be her?

"She looks like a prettier version of Naruto," Choji commented.

Kiba nodded. "She is definitely hotter than the Naruto that we know. Do you remember how chubby Naruto was when we were twelve?"

"She wasn't chubby," Hinata declared, pressing her lips into a thin line. The words that Naruto had always been pretty were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed the words back. They were in a crowded restaurant and getting into a fight was not going to win her any favors with anyone.

"I wonder what lines they gave her to say," Ino commented. "I can't imagine the Naruto lookalike making comments about being respectful to the rules or anything like that."

Hinata pressed her lips into a thin line and put her menu up, pale milky eyes focused on the television screen. She tightened her grip on the menu, ignoring the looks of concern being thrown her way from both Shino and Kiba.

'_Everyone that has come to this school, came here because we have a dream that we think Yuuei can help us achieve."_ Hinata loosened her grip on the menu and dropped it on the table. "_Not everyone here is in the hero course, but they worked their asses off to get here…because getting here isn't easy. We are lucky to be gifted with teachers that care about our mental well-being and physical well-being."_

Pale milky eyes widened as whispers broke out about the speech. Hinata nibbled her bottom lip as blue eyes shone with gratefulness. She smoothed her shirt, taking deep breaths as her brain tried to process what was being said on television. Was Naruto-chan trying to send her a message? It sounded like it, but it could be wrong of her.

"I can't ever imagine Naruto or anyone looking like her, saying something like this," Sakura commented.

Ino nodded. "She was always making things about herself."

Hinata grinded her teeth, jaw clenched as she tried to rein in her growing temper. What did they know about Naruto? Her best friend always put other people before herself. Sure, there had been times when Naruto made things about herself but everyone did it.

"She isn't capable of saying these kind of things," Kiba said.

Pale milky eyes narrowed at her friend's words. "Naruto is more than capable of not making things about herself. She is able to make speeches or did you forget about the Chunin Exams? Do you know why she purposely angered everyone in the Chunin Exam?"

No words were spoken between them and Hinata expected this. The only person, who would have understood Naruto's action, probably was Sasuke. The two of them had been the best of friends since they were six, except the two of them had never always been on the same page. Hinata sighed and looked at the actor that looked exactly and sounded like the Naruto that she knew.

"It was because we were all so nervous about the Chunin Exams and Naruto wanted to break the tension." Hinata declared and everyone blinked at their words. The only person, not surprised by her words, was Shikamaru. He had always been observant and always analyzing them, so he probably knew Naruto's reason.

"_Hinata-chan, I don't know if you are watching this but I want to say that I know I disappointed the shit out of you."_ Pale lavender eyes widened as the members of Rookie Nine blinked. Her throat tightened. "_But I heard you, loud and clear that day."_

Hinata smiled and gulped down a lump when she saw the emotions shining through her friend's eyes. Regret shone through those eyes and tears almost seemed to be shining through her eyes, which spoke volumes that this was Naruto. This was not some actor pretending to be her, but the best friend that had always been there for her. The friend that just wanted to have someone care for her.

"T-That's Naruto?" Ino stuttered.

Sakura frowned. "Why is she apologizing to you? What is she talking about?"

Pink lips pressed into a thin line and Hinata regarded the teammate that Naruto always complained about. "Did you even visit her in the hospital? She was a mess after coming back from that mess of a mission. She was refusing to talk to anyone and I begged her to talk to me. I wanted her to give me a sign that she listened to me, but she never answered me."

"…_But I'm okay now and I'm going to win the whole damn thing!"_

Shikamaru shifted his eyes to her. "What does Naruto mean that she is okay now?"

"You didn't visit her so you wouldn't know what happened to her after the mission," Hinata took a deep breath as Shikamaru grimaced at the reminder. His black eyes shone with guilt for his actions and the girl continued on, ignoring the action. "Naruto wasn't talking to me and she barely ate her hospital food. I felt like I was losing my best friend."

"That doesn't sound like Naruto," Choji frowned and looked away from her.

Hinata fixated her eyes on Sakura. "You are right. This doesn't sound like Naruto, but Naruto has always been emotional. She had always wore her heart on her sleeves, especially when it came to Sasuke. He was her first friend and Naruto always tried to act like a big sister, always wanted to compete with him. She always tried to make sure that he doesn't do something stupid."

"Why are you giving me that look, Hinata?" Sakura frowned and balled her hands into a fist.

Pale eyes stilted at the pink-haired girl. "You want to know why? Because you always do things that hurt her feelings and you always knew the right words to hurt her. You must have said something to hurt her again."

"I had never say anything—"

"Naruto tells me everything and you hurt her feelings when you thought she was so lucky not to have parents," Sakura's eyes widened and Hinata took a deep breath. Her hands trembled like it always did whenever she recalled the emotions that Naruto had that day. "She heard you, loud and clear about your feelings towards her."

Sakura blinked and looked guilty for her words but Hinata was going to rip her apart for those actions, because Naruto wasn't here to stop her. Her friend could claim that Sasuke did it already, but it was never enough. Nothing would ever be enough when she thought of how much Naruto suffered from losing the only mother figure in her life.

"You used to be bullied for having a large forehead and yet you decided to become a bully to Naruto," Sakura blinked and Hinata fixated her eyes on her. "You had no right to talk about her being lucky to not have parents, not when all she ever wanted was to have a family. You never even tried to understand her pain and you didn't think of what it must have been like for her to come back home without parents greeting her."

'_Hey Hinata-chan, do you think my mummy would have been as nice as Sasuke's mum?"_

She despised how much Sakura hurt her best friend.

* * *

Kakashi had always enjoyed watching the Yuuei Sports Festival, even as a child. Some of the special effects used on the show seemed so real that he used to wonder if he could make a jutsu out of them. He tried several times and a few of them were successful…while others had been a failed attempt. Obito used to enjoy them, always rooting for the underdog while Rin just liked to cheer for whoever she thought had a chance to win.

Minato-sensei had always watched them with sad, longing eyes.

So it was just natural for him to watch the Sports Festival with the other jounins in the Jounin Lounge. The other jounins were already sitting on their usual seats, their eyes eager to see of the new actors coming in for the First Year. Most of them didn't stand out to him except for a boy that looked a little bit similar to Minato-sensei and a girl, who looked exactly like his student.

She looked like how Kakashi imagined Naruto would look like when she turned fifteen. As a little girl, Kakashi had seen a lot of Minato-sensei in her but her face had always been rounder. Kushina had always complained about it and his own father used to remind her about it, before he died. So it was natural to presume Naruto would just grow into her looks when she grew up.

"_Your Student Representative is from Class 1A: Uzumaki Naruto!"_

Chatters broke out as all the Jounin gawked at the announcement of who was supposed to be the Class Representative for the First Year. The camera zoomed in on the blond-haired girl making her way to the podium, seeming to focus on the whisker marks that marked her as Naruto. It was Naruto because only his student had those whisker marks.

"What the hell is the brat doing there? Did she just suddenly decide to become an actress?" One of the jounin cried.

Kakashi ignored the questioning looks of his fellow jounin, only focusing on his blond-haired student. The girl inhaled and exhaled as her hands trembled like it always did whenever Naruto felt nervous or excited about something. It seemed like she was doing fine, despite the fact Tsunade exiled her for the next six years.

'_It is for Naruto's own good that she is exiled, Kakashi!"_

"_At least, let me check up on her."_

He shifted in his seat and stared at the smile playing on her lips. Blue eyes seemed to be scanning through the various faces of her fellow actors, or were they even actors? Naruto was intelligent, was good at deceiving people at times but his student could never really be a good actor. There was always a point when her emotions shone through, allowing anyone with eyes to read her.

"Her lines are a whole lot different from the lines that are always spoken in these things," Kurenai commented. "She is using vocabulary that I don't think the actual Naruto knows what to say."

Kakashi shook his head. "At first glance, you think Naruto is a simple person that doesn't know anything but if you take the time to observe her and watch her, then you would know that Naruto is smarter then she lets people think she is. She has always been smart."

Her test scores did not reflect it but Kakashi saw the level of thinking that Naruto used when it came to trap-making. In the team exercises, it had always been Naruto that had been given the job of making traps. Sasuke might have been in the top of his class but his skills paled against his prankster of a teammate. Sakura was analytical, but she had always been average in these areas of the shinobi arts.

Naruto always shone in those skills and it took a lot of brains and thinking to make these observations.

'_Doggie! Granny is gone!"_

His student had always been smarter than people give her credit, but Kakashi just wonder what forced his student to pretend that she doesn't fully understand things.

"_Hinata-chan, I don't know if you are watching this but I just want to say that I know I disappointed the shit out of you. But I heard you, loud and clear that day."_ Black eyes widened and a pit of uneasiness settled in his stomach. The fact Naruto was calling out to Hinata told him that his student had done something really wrong to her friend for her to say this. His student would never publicly apologized, not unless she felt guilty for something.

Out of all the bonds that Naruto had, the bond between Hinata and Naruto rivalled the bond that Naruto had with Sasuke.

The fact she was also apologizing meant that the Sports Festival was not just some TV show. It meant that the world was filled with more countries and had more Kekkai Genkai then people could ever imagine. His lips curled into a frown. It meant that Minato-sensei had been right about the world being larger then they thought.

It meant that his student was competing against people with Kekkai Genkai and he wondered just how far Naruto had come in the last two and half years.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about the characters. What do you think of the reactions?**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter**.

* * *

_(Two weeks ago)_

_How do you split a leaf in half with just wind chakra?_

Naruto twirled her leaf around her fingers. Blond eyebrows knitted together as Jiraiya chatted with Midoriya about something. Her lips pressed into a thin line as sweat began to build around her forehead. She curled her lips and focused all of her attention on the small green leaf. Chakra was channeled to the leaf, only to make it stick to the tip of her finger.

_Wind cuts._

That had been the only clue Jiraiya gave her when he began the exercise for her chakra nature. How does that help? It barely gave her any hint of what to do. She tried making her chakra split in half but it just didn't happen. She tugged her ponytail, wishing not for the first time that Jiraiya was just a little bit more helpful. How does splitting and cutting work together? No, how does she get her chakra to split?

A sigh escaped from her lips and looked up at the sky. The clouds floated, lazing around like they had nothing better to do and it made her long to be like them. Why couldn't he say make it float? Maybe it would be easier for her to picture it floating then splitting around. Naruto furiously shook her head and blue eyes returned back to the innocent leaf lying on her finger tips.

_Cut this leaf using only your chakra._

Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and took a deep breath. Two hints: wind cuts and she could cut the leaf with her chakra. Maybe she should try to imagine it like a pair of scissors? They cut things. Naruto knitted her eyebrows together as her eyes focused on the leaf in her fingers. The leaf felt soft, almost like the paper that they forced them to cut for projects.

Scissors had two sharp, thin blades and that allowed them to cut. Knives needed extra help when it came to cutting thing, a support as well. Blue eyes widened and a smile played on her lips. Closing her eyes, Naruto tried to picture her chakra as scissors. She split them in half, grinding them close to the leaf and slowly the leaf began to tear.

"_Finally! I did it!_ " Naruto pumped her fist in the air and the leaf stopped tearing. She puffed her cheeks but blue eyes sparkled with joy at the slight tearing of the leaf. She just needed to keep her focus and make sure that the blades were just constantly touching each other and then everything would be fine.

"_Since you figure out what to do, come here!"_ Jiraiya barked. He nodded at the slight tearing of her leaf, before focusing his attention on Midoriya. The green-haired boy had his eyebrows knitted together as if he still had no understanding of what Jiraiya had just told him.

Naruto raised her eyebrow. "_I'm still working on tearing the damn leaf in half!"_

"_And we need you to improve on your sparing,"_ Jiraiya reminded her. "_I want you to spar against me."_

Blue eyes widened at his words. "_I thought you want me to focus for the next two days on the leaf exercise! Why do you want to focus on my taijutsu suddenly?"_

"_Midoriya explained to me about his fighting style and how his Quirk just increases his natural strength,"_ Jiraiya pressed his lips into a thin line. "_From the way he describe how he use his Quirk…well I want him to see what he has been doing wrong for the last couple of times. So we need to spar."_

Midoriya blinked and stared wide-eyed at them.

"_Well I want a punching bag,"_ Jiraiya pulled a face as Naruto dropped her leaf. Taking a deep breath, the blond-haired girl began to stretch. "_Is there any rules?_"

Jiraiya bobbed his head, walked over to her and whispered. "_Please don't try and use the Sexy Jutsu."_

Naruto rolled her eyes and put her fingers together into a familiar hand sign. White Clouds of smoke appeared as several clones of herself appeared. Each one of them bounced and grinned while Midoriya blinked, eyebrows knitted together as he pulled out a familiar notebook.

Her clones charged straight in and Jiraiya sighed. The white-haired man ducked and dodged her clones attacks, before grabbing a clone. The clone beamed and made a familiar hand sign, which made the man's lips twitched. He tossed the clone away as a white cloud surrounded the clone. The cloud dispersed, revealing that it was a log.

"_So Uzumaki can also do that."_ Izuku muttered.

Jiraiya dodged a kick. "_I'm telling you to watch and learn! Not to make notes, kid. You can analyze Naruto's battle tactics and her abilities later."_

Naruto channeled her chakra straight to her leg, blue eyes glinting with mischief as she hurled her hands back like a spring and then released it. Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly before he took a side step. Naruto stumbled and her fist made contact to the floor, cracking the floor in half and Jiraiya grabbed her by the hair and swung his leg at her.

She wasn't fast enough to dodge.

Blood erupted from her mouth as Jiraiya's leg made contract with her stomach, forcing her to fly several feet away. She clutched her stomach with one hand, while the other hand rubbed the blood stains off of her face and sighing at Jiraiya.

Here she was thinking that she could actually land a punch against him.

"_Do you see how we fight, Midoriya? We don't just use one part of our body."_ Jiraiya lectured as Naruto rubbed her stomach. "_You only focus on your hands when you use your Quirk. That doesn't work. Look at what Naruto does: she uses all parts of her body to fight. No one can win if they just use and focus just one part of their body."_

Blue eyes widened as Midoriya blinked, looking at the Toad Sannin with new found understanding. Green eyes looked down at his hands before glancing at the two of them with new found respect.

Jiraiya turned to Naruto. "_And we need to work on your tactics, Naruto. Once we are back in your apartment, we are going to play a game of Go."_

* * *

"Why did you have to say that, Uzumaki?"

Naruto kept her eyes fixated on the stunned crowds and ignored the glares being thrown her way. Several of her classmates looked horrified at her declaration of her desire to win the Sports Festival with only Bakugou looking at her like he wanted to challenge her claim. She curled her lips into a smile before flickering her eyes to the various cameras focused on her.

She flickered her eyes to Kendou and the green-eyed girl chewed on her bottom lip. The girl held her hand up, grabbing one of her classmates that seemed ready to charge straight at her. Naruto slipped her hands into her gym pants, closing her eyes as another set of green eyes flashed before her eyes.

"How overconfident can you get? For a moment there, I thought you weren't all that bad."

"Just because you defeated one villain, doesn't mean that you are better than us."

"Screw you!"

"We are going to win!"

Naruto swirled her head back and forced herself to smile. Todoroki glanced at her, lips pressed into a thin line and seemed like he wanted to confront her but she looked away from him. Anger bubbled up as her mind replayed the words that he spoke to her. Once this thing was done, she was going to rip him apart for making her believe in him.

Assholes always broke trust and like a fool, Naruto always consider those assholes to be her friend.

"I was just telling the whole world about my intentions and making a promise to a precious friend." Naruto looked straight at the crowds, her eyes passing away from the various unfamiliar faces and focused on the Toad Sannin. A smile decorated his face but his eyes shone with slight hints of concern as if he knew exactly why she decided to call out to her best friend.

Kendou stepped forward. "But couldn't you have call her? You didn't have to go that far."

Everyone bobbed their heads, arms folded against their chest and the blue-eyed girl just smiled. The smile stretched her whole face as her heart ached like it always did whenever she recalled her actions to Hinata. Small gestures such as sending a toad would never be enough to vocalize how regretful she was to Hinata. Beside, it was never her style.

She always preferred to make the flashiest gestures.

"Now!" Midnight declared and the screen behind her flashed. "Let's begin the first round! Every year, many students are left behind in tears here—the fateful first game!"

The screen before them erupted into colour as a slot machine appeared on the screen. It rolled quickly as colours and words began to flash across the screen. The words and colours were too quick for her to catch but Naruto could guess it was probably the regular games that lined up. She didn't have much problem with any of the regular games, not when she liked being active.

In the Academy, she ranked second for taijutsu and ranked first in any activity that required movement. Not from her trying but because most of the girls didn't seem to focus all that match on their taijutsu or any of the physical aspects.

"This year it is…" The slot machine began to slow down and bright words flashed across the screen. Naruto smiled and Midnight gestured with an extravagant hand. "An obstacle race! All of the classes will participate. The course will be outer circumference of the stadium. As long as you stay on the course—"

Midnight cast all of them a side glance, licking her lips and Naruto plastered a smile on her lips. "—it doesn't matter what you do! Now to your places!"

Everyone around her began to move. The crowds of students seemed to be quickly making their way over to the starting point of the gates. Two pairs of green eyes stared at her with concern while another pair of mismatch eyes seemed focus on the stadium, his eyes narrowing. Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and followed his eyes, only to frown when she saw Endeavour staring at them.

More importantly at her.

Naruto shook her head and made her way straight to the line, pushing and squeezing against the students. She could always just stand in the back and keep some distance away from them, but Naruto wanted to win. The desire to win was greater than anything.

Her eyes landed to the top of the archway, where three lights blinked brightly above them. Anything goes and there were no rules that it was wrong for her to play dirty. This would be a great way to get ahead and play a prank on everyone.

'_Knock 'em dead.'_

Naruto curled her lips into a mischievous smile and everything grew quiet as the second light flickered off.

'_Naru-chan, if you keep using that jutsu then I might just make it an S-rank jutsu.'_

'_Not my fault that you are pervert, Old Man!"_

The final light flickered.

"Start!"

Everyone exploded into action.

Naruto jumped and surged towards the entryway, using her fellow competitors as stepping stones. Students quickly began to shout at her, telling her that she needed to be careful with their heads, while others began to shove into each other as their bodies pressed tightly. Everyone rushed forward to break through the tunnel. She kicked the final head and landed on the empty ground.

Blue eyes glinted with mischief as she waved her goodbyes.

Cold air brushed against her cheeks and Naruto swirled her head back as ice raced towards her. Mismatch eyes flared with determination and a large smile decorated her face as her hands came together into a familiar hand sign. Todoroki faltered slightly as white smoke erupted around the track.

Her clones appeared and placed their hands together into a familiar hand seal that hadn't been used since she begged Jiraiya to train her. White smoke erupted again and it slowly disappeared to reveal several sexier versions of herself standing, giggling and giving everyone winks.

Silence reined as several boys fainted at the sight and blood seemed to seep out of Todoroki's nose, earning a laugh from Naruto. The blond-haired girl charged straight ahead as the other girls took this as their opportunity to charge straight ahead, shaking their heads at the reactions of their male competitors.

"You know this works every single time!" Naruto declared, whipping her head back and poking her tongue out at everyone.

"_We need to change Midnight's wording,"_ Aizawa-sensei declared through the microphone. Naruto laughed as the crowds watched the event with stunned silent. "_Rules will need to be revisited on what should be considered __**appropriate**__ because apparently Uzumaki took Midnight's words to heart."_

"_It feels almost like a repeat of when Midnight was doing the Sports Festival."_

Naruto pouted and charged straight through the tracks, not bothering to look back to see if her classmates and fellow competitors were following behind her. She channeled more chakra into her legs, surging straight ahead and eyes focused on the track ahead of her.

A rumble shook the ground from beneath her and Naruto forced herself to slow down. Her lips tugged downwards as metal robots charged her way. All of them looked similar in design to the ones in the Entrance Exam with a couple of massive ones looming above her.

"_And the first obstacle has appeared!"_ Present Mic cheered, voice booming throughout the stadium. Naruto curled her hands into a fist as two massive robots loomed over her. In the corner of her eye, she could make out a flash of green hair. "_A robot from the entrance exam!"_

She was going to leave the second robot for Midoriya.

Naruto inhaled and channeled her chakra into her hands before launching herself at the robot. Her fist smashed against the robot's face, tearing it half as Midoriya's green eyes flashed with determination. The boy launched himself, grabbed hold of the robot's leg and tear it in half.

He grinned in triumph.

"_Eraserhead, what exactly is Uzumaki's Quirk?"_

If only they knew that this was not the result of a Kekkai Genkai, but the result of training and chakra.

* * *

Hawks wasn't the type of person to watch the Sports Festival in person. He always preferred just to catch up on it when he had free time or in his office, but this was the first time Uzushiokage decided to take part of the festival. If his fellow hero could take some time off to see the festival then he should just do the same. Beside, this was the year that Endeavour's kid was going to compete.

But it wasn't Endeavour's kid that stood out today, it was the girl that seemed to have decided to act like another version of Midnight. The girl, who seemed to have a very similar Quirk to the hero right beside him.

"Uzumaki's Quirk seems very similar to your Quirk," Hawks flickered his eyes to the red-haired man. "Can you also use your Quirk to make a sexy female version of yourself?"

The hero flushed a bright shade of red and avoided his questioning eyes, finding more interest in watching the blond-haired girl smashing through the various robots that seemed to be heading her way. Despite the fact the green-haired boy seemed to have caught up to her, the girl seemed to be buzzing past him and heading straight to the second part of the obstacle race.

Her speed echoed the man right beside him.

Hawks shook his head and let out a laugh. "So you can do the same thing, can't you?"

"I cannot do it!" Uzushiokage declared, folding his arms against his broad chest. Hawks shook his head, letting out another laugh and took a deep breath before focusing his attention on the young Uzumaki. Fire seemed to be shining through her eyes as the large screen changed onto her. The girl made several clones, who seemed ready to help her tear the last of the machines apart.

Hawks flickered his eyes to Uzushiokage and raised his eyebrow at the excitement flashing through those green eyes.

"She is really something, isn't she?" Hawks declared.

Uzushiokage snorted and nodded. "She seems like my type of girl."

"You know she isn't legal."

The red-haired hero laughed and shook his head. "I walked right into that, didn't I? She looks like the type of kid that I want to intern."

Hawks blinked and leaned forward, raising one wing to cover the sunlight shining from above them. At first glance, he would presume Uzushiokage wanted to intern the girl because of her looks. But looks weren't everything. Hawks rubbed his chin as his eyes focused on the determination shining through her eyes.

Hawks liked kids with ambition and a desire to prove themselves, which was probably why he liked hanging out with Uzushiokage.

"She has got impressive strength even though her body type implies that she shouldn't carry that much strength," Hawks rubbed his chin. "But the same can be said for that Midoriya kid. Why are you more interested in her then that kid?"

"I thought you of all people would understand," Uzushiokage curled his lips into a smile and pointed to his eyes. "Do you see those blue eyes? Or hear her words? That kid has something to prove to the world and has a fire inside of her that is just ready to be lit up."

The winged hero nodded and flickered his eyes to the screen, where Uzumaki seemed to be approaching to the second obstacle of the obstacle course. Uzushiokage never told anyone about his reason for choosing his hero name, always avoiding the topic but Hawks knew what his last name was. He folded his arms against his neck, looked up at the sky and then flickered his eyes to the hero.

"Is it that? Or is it because you know of her background?" Uzushiokage kept quiet and Hawks flickered his eyes at him. "Everyone knows what type of interns you pick but Uzumaki doesn't seem like your usual type. Is it because of her determination? Or is it because she shares your last name…Eisuke?"

Eisuke focused his eyes on the girl that now stood in front of the rocks. "My last name has nothing to do with my decision, but something tells me that she will be something amazing."

* * *

_Really? Tightropes?_ Naruto shook her head and stared down at the ropes and platforms laid below her as she leapt from one platform to the next. It would have been a terrible idea for her to use Chakra on the tightropes, not when her chakra control was still not in the level where she could do things unconsciously.

Naruto landed on the second last platform and whirled her head back to see who was following behind her. The last time she checked, it had been Midoriya but it might have changed for all she knew. Todoroki had been catching up to them, but it was not a big issue for her. In fact, she was actually happy that Midoriya came this far with using his Quirk.

She landed on the final platform and sprinted straight ahead, forcing herself never to look back at her fellow competitors. Blood and adrenaline rushed all over her body as her hair flew against the sky. Just one more obstacle and she was going to be coming in first place like she promised.

_What do I have to prove today? Everyone has something to prove, but what is the importance for me?_

Naruto sprinted harder and nearly stumbled but she steadied herself as the wind slapped against her cheeks.

She slowed down when she caught sight of the sign and curled her lips into a small frown. Blue eyes grew large as her brain finally processed what the third and final obstacle was going to be for the obstacle course. _I really hope they aren't insane enough to put actually explosives._

A minefield of all things. Naruto took a deep breath and stared at the patches of dirt surrounding her. Some of the patches of dirt looked clear while others looked like there might be an explosive down there. Her lips curled into a scowl and thankfully she could take her time since none of her fellow competitors were as fast as her.

She was going to need to take her time to navigate through this field.

Naruto took a deep breath as her legs slowly took their time to step through the various clear dirt patches. A plan needed to be made of how she could get there faster. Blue eyes widened as a light bulb went off above her head.

Her fingers came together and Naruto closed her eyes, trying to estimate how many clones were going to be needed for this trick.

A hazy memory suddenly appeared before her eyes of annoyed set of onxy eyes and another set of sad onyx eyes. Her heart twisted in pain like it always did as a warm smile flashed before her eyes. Someone telling her that she could read and that she was very smart, but she just needed—

"_We just need to take our time for you to learn how to read, Naru-chan and then you will have catch up to Sasuke-kun. You are just as smart and capable as my son."_

Naruto sucked in a deep breath, forced the memory back in her mind as twenty clones appeared behind her.

"_What is Uzumaki planning to do with her clones? If she wants to keep her first spot then she needs to hurry up as Todoroki, Midoriya and Bakugou are charging straight her way."_

Her clones jumped up, grabbed each other by the leg and started to form a rope for her to climb through. Taking a deep breath, Naruto jumped up and began sprinting across the clone tightrope. It wobbled and as Naruto step off one clone, it disappeared. Clouds of smoke exploded as Naruto continued to walk over her clones, making sure not to fall off.

'_Just take your time, Naru-chan.'_

She landed just in front of the finishing line and launched herself forward, gulping down the lump that had just formed in her throat. Her heart thudded in pain as she passed through the finishing line. Cheers erupted from the stadium as Naruto sat down on the floor, blue eyes fixated on the screen where now Todoroki, Midoriya and Bakugou were on the front of the minefield.

A frown decorated her lips as she forced herself to stand up again. Blood erupted around her ears as people clapped their hands for her. It should make her happy but her eyes was now just fixated on the scoreboard. Her name appeared on the scoreboard along with the number one.

First place.

Naruto stared at the stadium, eyes darting passed the unfamiliar faces and fixated on both Jiraya and Endeavour. The Toad Sannin looked overjoyed for her victory, but he gestured his head to the door and it signaled that they were going to have a talk. She flickered her eyes to Endeavour, lips pressed into a thin line as the man focused his undivided attention on her.

Shouldn't he be cheering for his son? He could do that much for his own kid.

She shook her head and stared at the cheering crowds. Her lips tugged downwards as her hands began to tremble. Why did that memory play in her mind? Her concentration had been on point until those onyx eyes flashed before her. Was it a sign or something? Naruto shook her head and took in the cheers of the crowds. This was not the time to think of the past, but a time for her to be happy about her victory.

Yes, it should be a joyous time now but Naruto had only one thought echoing in her mind now that the adrenaline and the memory were now gone from her head.

Were these people actually rooting for her?

* * *

**A/N: What do you think about this chapter? And of the story so far?**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

There was no one in the hallways leading into the changing room, a reminder to Naruto that she had been just a little bit too quick in finishing her race. Present Mic's voice echoed throughout the corridor, not just telling her that Todoroki, Bakugou and Midoriya were racing out for second place, but also a constant reminder of just how alone Naruto was in the hallway.

She smoothed out the wrinkles of her gym outfit and darted her eyes throughout the hallway, looking and failing to find Jiraiya. Didn't he give her a signal to follow him so they could talk? She curled her lips into an ugly scowl. He probably found some pretty heroine and decided to hit on her like he always did whenever he catch sight of any pretty girl.

Naruto inhaled and exhaled as her feet dragged itself through the corridors, hoping to find any clues of where the Toad Sanin was. Pink lips curled into a frown as loud, thundering footsteps echoed throughout the hallways. There were a lot of things Naruto would use to describe Jiraiya, but he was not the type to make his footsteps loud.

He was always ready to spring up on her.

Naruto's footsteps slowed down when she caught sight of Todoroki's father. Turquoise eyes flared with rage and annoyance and a pair of mismatch eyes flashed before her eyes. Naruto grinded her teeth together, balled her hands into a fist and took several deep breaths before forcing herself to make a tight, cheerful smile.

Right now, she saw the eerily resemblance between her friend and his father. A resemblance, which Naruto hated because Endeavour acted like Hisashi with the way he constantly looked down on people. He acted like how Gaara described his own father, a man that barely saw his son as a son and saw him nothing but as a weapon.

"I want to have a talk with you, Uzumaki." Turquoise eyes flared with annoyance and stared at her like she was a problem that he wanted to fix. Naruto grinded her teeth and took several deep breaths as words of the past echoed in her ear, reminding her of the very first betrayal that she ever felt from a friend.

'_I just wanted to be first again, Naruto. My Dad doesn't like the fact that I keep getting second place now."_

Naruto dropped her smile. "If you want me to lose the next round just so Todoroki can win then screw you. I vowed in front of the whole world that I'm going to win this whole thing and nothing in the world will make me change my mind."

'_It seems like Midoriya had decided to kick the ground behind him to propel himself to the finishing line!"_ Only the commentary from Present Mic echoed between them as Naruto hardened her eyes at the Pro-Hero. Turquoise eyes stared at her with begrudging respect, earning a scowl from the blond-haired girl. What was the point of having the respect of an asshole? So what if he was the Number Two? He was a symbolism of all the people that judged her.

All of those geniuses and prodigy that always looked down on her, because of her stupid scores.

"I want your help."

Blue eyes widened as Endeavour grinded his teeth and hands curled into a tight fist. His eyes focused on her for a couple of seconds, before darting to looking at everywhere but at her. The reluctance in his tone spoke volumes to Naruto because people like Endeavour don't want help. She pressed her lips into a thin line.

"My help?"

Endeavour nodded. "You are probably the only one that can convince Shouto to use his left side."

"His left side?" Naruto knitted her eyebrows together and darted her eyes to either sides of the corridor. No one seemed to be coming and the lack of forced movement told her that Todoroki was nowhere to be found. Endeavour scowled and looked down on her, his turquoise eyes focused on hers.

"Has Shouto ever used his left side since he joined Yuuei?"

Tilting her head to the side, Naruto knitted her eyebrows and thought back to the various exercises that All Might and Aizawa made them do. Ice was the only thing, which stood out to her along with the way Todoroki never seemed to listen to what their classmates had to say for his plans

"No," Naruto took a deep breath. "Todoroki has always been using his right side to freeze people, and I don't think anyone has ever seen him use his left side."

She never thought to ask about it, not when it never came up.

Endeavour growled. "That boy refused to listen to me when I tell him to use the fire from his left side, but the fool thinks that he can win and surpass All Might with just his left side."

Blue eyes turned completely blank as her mind shut down to process what was just said. Why did it matter if he surpass All Might? Shouldn't he just worry about the Sports Festival? There was nothing about his tone that suggested that this was a concern father. It sounded more like a boss being frustrated with his subordinate. Naruto clenched her hands into a fist and allowed the anger to leak into her eyes.

Was this really what Todoroki had to deal with?

Didn't the bastard think that maybe there was a reason Todoroki refused to use it? She took a couple of deep breaths as her hands continued to tremble with rage. There was always a chance she was wrong and Todoroki's father did know why his son was acting like a stubborn mule.

Because that was what Todoroki was, he was stubborn as soon as he had an idea in his head and would have a lot of reasons to explain his actions…even if some of them didn't require much words or make any sense.

"And why doesn't he use it?"

Endeavour snarled. ""Because the boy is being rebellious! Now help me get him to use it."

Naruto grinded her teeth together, balled her hands into a fist and it took all of her willpower not to scream at the hero. Rebellious? Todoroki? The boy was too oblivious that it was not even funny. Bastard had only broken the rule once, which really didn't make him at all rebellious. Mismatch eyes flashed before her eyes along with the concern and Naruto found her rage slightly withering away.

She inhaled.

"Why me? Why did you come to me?" He insulted her in his home and tried to stop her friendship with his son. Hell their friendship was going to be on the rocks if Todoroki knew that his father came to her. She knew if Todoroki ever learnt that his father came to her then their friendship was over.

Their friendship was already fragile and if she helped Endeavour with his request, then their friendship would shatter to the ground. She just could not risk it even if a part of her felt beyond annoyed that Todoroki would think he could win with just half his power. This was not respecting the amount of hard work given by their classmates and fellow year mates.

She didn't even lower her guard by using that Sexy Jutsu and it would be so cruel of Todoroki to do this to their classmates.

'_We aren't friends today.'_

'_We are competitors trying to win a competition.'_

Endeavour really was a fool if he thought she could talk sense to Todoroki. How could she even help him if Todoroki refused to acknowledge their friendship today? Words would never go through him if the bastard refused to acknowledge that they were friends.

There was no way she could force him to use his fire or reason with him, not unless he just calm down. She could not force him to do something he wasn't ready to do, just like Ero-Sennin could not force her to use the Kyuubi's chakra. It would make her the biggest hypocrite and she was not going to become one for Todoroki.

Beside, how could a person help if a friend refused to open up to them? A bitter smile played on her lips as Endeavour stared at her with expectant eyes. Just like Todoroki would not open up to her about the reason he didn't use his left side and his mother, Naruto had never given him even a tiny glimpse into her past.

She took a deep breath.

"I won't force him to do something that he doesn't want to do."

* * *

"_In fifth place: Shiozaki Ibara!"_

Naruto curled her lips into a thin line as Present Mic continued to list out the incoming competitors that were now in the final leg of the race. Midoriya came second, which not only spoke volumes of how far he came with his Quirk but his brains because no one would have decided to use the explosives to propel themselves to second place. In third place had been Todoroki, who was quickly followed behind by Bakugou.

_Convince Shouto to use his left side._

She shook her head, took a deep breath and placed her fingers on either side of her face. She dragged the corners of her lips until a smile formed on her face. If Ero-Sennin find her now then it would be even obvious to him that something must have happened to her.

As if her thoughts had performed a summoning jutsu, Jiraiya strolled into the hallway as if he belonged inside a school where security was supposed to be at its max and there were so many heroes crawling here, not just to watch the students but also to protect the school. Not that it seemed like they were doing their job, if Jiraiya had been able to sneak in without much detection.

The Toad Sannin dropped his smile as his dark eyes fixated on her. His lips curled into a frown as he strolled straight towards her, looking at her like he was afraid that she might just fall. She forced the smile to become wider and the white-haired man placed his hands on her arms.

"Are you okay, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled brightly. "Of course, everything is okay."

Jiraiya would not happy if she decided to meddle with her classmate's life, not when the last time she tried to meddle led him deciding that she should travel for a long period of time. She doubt he would even understand why she was contemplating to help him. Naruto puffed her cheeks, blowing a strand of her hair away.

She doesn't even know why she was even thinking to agree to Endeavour's wish.

The Toad Sannin placed his large hand on her shoulder, knelt down and looked straight into her eyes. "Naruto, you know you can tell me anything. Do you want to talk about what happened in the Obstacle Race?"

Naruto blinked and furiously shook her head as her throat burned like it always did, whenever Mikoto's eyes flashed before her eyes. Mikoto Uchiha hadn't even been her mother. She was Sasuke's mother…but she had been one of the few adults who seemed to love her.

"I'm not going to talk about it." Naruto trusted Jiraiya but she was not going to have another therapy session. One therapist was enough for her and even then the woman hadn't coaxed her to say something. The woman only allowed her to play poker, which didn't mean much.

Jiraiya inhaled. "Naruto, I am not an expert on these things but if you properly read my novels, then you would see how much better people feel when they talk about their problems."

Did he really expect her to believe that he made her read those books to influence her? She knew the man like the back of her hand and he made her correct his books, because she was free and his student. Naruto inhaled and flickered her eyes to the walls, wishing for someone that could save her from this talk.

"Some of your characters are just shady," Naruto reminded him with a scowl playing on her lips. "And you are just describing about how the Old Hag kept rejecting you and how you always handle it."

Jiraiya did not smile at her comment nor did he become angry. Instead, he leaned against the wall and looked up at the ceiling like he was blaming it for something. Naruto snorted and folded her arms against her lips as a righteous smile played on her lips. If he brought up his book then she would point this out.

It was only fair.

Finally, the man sighed. "Do you think it is easy for me to bare my soul and work to let the world read and criticize me?"

"You write smut," Naruto deadpanned.

"You know very well that not all of it is about smut," Jiraiya puffed his chest and looked almost insulted by her observation, but the blond-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Some of the things that I wrote are true. You think that the main character really enjoyed the attentions of the other females? Or that he enjoyed his first love more? It does hurt to be rejected but I turn my rejections into a book."

She knew that and maybe that was why Naruto did find some joy in his books. The smut was terrible, practically impossible in her mind and the description of the female body was too distasteful. But there were points in his books, where she almost smiled and laughed. It was during those times was when she understood just why so many people enjoy it.

But she could not tell him of what Endeavour asked of her.

"I am fine, really."

"If you were fine then why weren't you happy about winning the obstacle race?" Jiraiya pressed his lips into a thin line as Naruto's smile faltered at his question. Blue eyes grew wide as her fingers began to fiddle together and the desire to deny his words were great. But something else bothered her.

The Toad Sannin had never been observant when it came to her.

"How do you know I wasn't happy?"

"Because you would have been bouncing and declaring to the whole world about how you won the whole thing," Naruto blinked as her teacher rubbed his chin and focused his black eyes on her. A smile played on his lips, telling her that maybe the man found some humor in her question.

"What are you smiling about?" Naruto folded her arms against her chest and tapped her feet against the floor. Distantly, Present Mic's words echoed throughout the corridor as he announced who came in twentieth place.

He laughed. "Do you remember how happy you were to master the Rasengan?"

A smile broke out of Naruto's lips as her blue eyes twinkled with mirth. Tsunade didn't even believe she could master the jutsu in one week, making a bet that she would fail in the jutsu. Her hand reached out to touch the gift Tsunade gave her and her smile faltered slightly as the cold crystal burned her hands.

This necklace had always been a symbol of bad luck for Tsunade, but Naruto could never see it in the same way. All those times where she had been close to death, this necklace had been there and she still survived. Sure, it was due to the Kyuubi but maybe this necklace was her symbol of luck.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Tsunade used to associate the necklace with bad things," Naruto declared as a smile played on her lips. "But it is actually a good thing, isn't it? This thing kinda protect me from all those near death experience."

Jiraiya did not say anything instead he focused his eyes on the necklace displayed proudly on her chest. His lips curled into a smile and he ruffled her hair like he always did whenever he found some joy in her words. Whenever the Toad Sannin did it or whenever he gave her a proud smile…well Naruto wonder if her parents would have done the same thing.

"Or maybe you have more luck than Tsunade ever hope to have." Naruto snorted at those words because she only had luck when it came to gambling. The Fifth Hokage had been blessed with a teammate that cared for her and was probably treated as royalty growing up.

It would be just pure irony for the jinchuuriki to have some form of luck, a luck better than the woman that was not just known as the best medic in the whole world but also the granddaughter of the First Hokage. Most of the time, the children and descendants of Kage seemed to always be treated well.

Gaara was the only exception to this.

She shook her head and stared at Jiraiya. He was here to support her and it seemed like he was able to read her moods really well, so it made sense that he wanted to know her lack of happiness. The man was just concern that she might have another breakdown.

It seemed like she really did have to do the whole opening up thing.

"I don't know why I'm not happy about winning the first round," Naruto admitted. "I just keep thinking why were these people so happy to see me win? When I battle against Neji, no one cheered for me. They expected me to lose because I'm not some kind of genius like him, or come from some famous clan like him. I always worked so hard for the damn village to acknowledge me and nothing ever seemed good enough for them."

She took in a deep breath and tried to swallow down her lump as Jiraiya reached out to hold her. Naruto shook her head and rubbed her eyes, cursing herself for allowing herself to cry.

"They only chanted my name after I won." She grinded her teeth. "The only person who had faith in my abilities was Hinata-chan. His own cousin knew that I had a chance to win, but the asshole kept calling me a loser. He kept saying all that bullshit about Hinata-chan and I lost control of myself."

Maybe if she used her head more then maybe she would have been a chunin in that exam.

"Naruto, you won't ever fully live your life if you think of the past," Jiraya knelt down and stared at her. "And you don't need the village to acknowledge you and your strength. The fact is that the villagers don't understand just how lucky they were to have you."

Naruto blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well despite the fact that they isolated you and made you feel like an outsider, you didn't go crazy from the loneliness." Jiraiya took a deep breath. "That friend of yours…Gaara? Didn't he go insane from the loneliness and decided to kill so many people? I remember you telling me that when we search for Tsunade."

Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and took a deep breath. "But I was very close, Ero-Sennin. If they thought I was a monster then why don't I become one? If the Third Hokage never saved me from the cold streets then I would have done it."

'_Why do you care, Old Man?'_

It had been the warmth in his eyes and the sympathy that stopped her from becoming the very thing that the villagers claimed her to be.

'_Because you are a child of Konoha.'_

It had been the Hokage's hug that eased her ache of loneliness and gave her hope that maybe if she just try to be kind and nice, then maybe the people would treat her good. She smiled bitterly. That didn't exactly worked in her favor because they still treated her like crap.

A pebble hit the wall and the two shinobi glanced at each other with frowns playing on their lips. Jiraiya held his hand up before strolling down the hallway, his eyebrows knitted together. Naruto chewed on her bottom lip as she flickered her eyes around the corridor. Who would possibly listen on their conversation? She stiffened her shoulder as the Toad Sannin looked left and right.

His eyes seemed to linger on the right and Naruto took a step forward, only for Jiraiya to hold his hand up at her. She folded her arms against her chest with her legs now stuck to the ground like her teacher requested. The white-haired man swirled his head, offered her a large smile and gave her a thumbs up.

"No one is here, Naruto."

It should make her feel relieved but there were footsteps fading away, one leg heavier than the other. She chewed on her bottom lip as her brain pulled out an image of Todoroki. Out of everyone in their class, only Todoroki had that type of footsteps. Midoriya was quieter and Bakugou's footsteps were just loud, always hurting her ears.

But Todoroki was not the type to listen in on people's conversation, especially now when he was just so self-obsessed with himself.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of this chapter? I would like to hear your thoughts about this chapter.**


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: I would like to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter and added this story to their favorite and follows. There are some changes to the previous chapter in regards to the talk that Naruto had with Jiraiya so if you have not read it, please do read it.

* * *

'_The person who doesn't have one of these bells will be sent back to the Academy.'_

Naruto pressed her lips into a smile and folded her arms against her chest as Kakashi looked at her like she was an idiot for not even trying to hide from him. Her blue eyes fixated on the dangling bell piece that was her ticket to becoming a genin. She flickered her eyes to the training field, noticing the slight shades of pinks in the bush and the blue in the trees.

"_You know that most fundamental thing to being a shinobi is to be able to hide yourself, right?"_ Naruto smiled brightly as her eyes flickered to the dangling bells tied to his waist. _Does he think I am an idiot? _His tone made her want to throw a kunai at him because Naruto wasn't stupid. She just never really tried hard in school but it did not make her an idiot. Naruto shifted herself in position, feeling the blood pounding through her ears as dark eyes flashed with both curiosity and irritation at her actions.

_You are going to find me anyway, so why don't I make things easier for you?_ It would be stupid of her to think she could hide from a skilled jounin. Naruto did not know anything about Kakashi but if Iruka-sensei could find her, when all the other less talented chunin and genin couldn't find her, then Kakashi could definitely catch her. She took a deep breath as plans began to formulate in her head.

Naruto was a lot of things but she knew the chances of her beating Kakashi was as the same chance of Hinata confessing to Kiba about her feelings. But she had to try and beat him with everything she got and show him that she was not someone he could see as an idiot.

"_Fight me."_

Till this date, Naruto knew it had been her worst idea because she _always knew_ at that time she would never beat Kakashi in a one-on-one fight. The smarter plan was to ask for Sakura and Sasuke for help but Sakura _hated_ her. Sasuke used to be her best-friend but the bastard hated teamwork. Between the three of them, he always scored the lowest in teamwork.

Teamwork also needed trust and she could never trust those two to have her back. The only person she could trust was herself and luckily for her, Naruto could make clones of herself.

_It was only when she made her own team that Naruto realized just how stupid it was for her not to try and give those two a chance._

* * *

"_A human cavalry battle!"_

Naruto could only blink while her fellow competitors stared at the bright colorful words that declared what was their second event. They glanced at each other with their lips curled into frowns and eyebrows knitted together while Midnight beamed at them, her eyes glinting with excitement.

"So we will be teaming up, but how will it work? Do we get to choose? Or will they assign our teams?" Tsuyu commented from right beside her.

Naruto grimaced and glanced at her fellow competitors. Most of these people looked so unfamiliar to her with only her classmates and Kendou looking somewhat familiar to her. Quirks, personalities and basically everything else was just a complete mystery. She licked her lips and nibbled it slightly as the sweat from her palms dripped down to the ground.

A frown played on Naruto's lips as a pair of eyes bored straight through her head. Taking a deep breath, Naruto swirled her head around and blue eyes met a pair of mismatch eyes. Blank eyes bored into her as his lips pressed into a thin line, before landing on her chest. Naruto narrowed her eyes, followed his train of sight and blinked at the clear teal crystal twinkling in the broad sunlight.

Inhaling, Naruto tucked the necklace back inside her shirt and turned her whole body back to the front, where Midnight stood in the podium.

"Everyone will receive a point value based on their position from the last trial!" Midnight continued.

Sero tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows. "So that means our point value will depend on our members, won't it? And can change depending on who we have as teammates!"

"Don't talk while I'm talking!" Midnight snapped, cracking her whip before she smoothed a hand over her hair. "But yes, that is right. Each contestant will be awarded points that goes up by with, with forty-three at five, forty-two at ten, forty-one at fifteen and etc."

Naruto gulped and pinched her shaking arms while Tsuyu gave her a concerned look. "With the exception of first place of course, whose point value is none other than—"

"Asui, please tell me that I'm going to get 215—"

"_Ten million points!"_

She tugged her ponytail and forced herself to smirk as heads swiveled at her direction. The air around her seemed to become heavier and heavier as hungry eyes stared at her with their lips curled into smiles that would even make a monster whimper in fear. Naruto gulped down her lump as more sweat began to smashed into the ground.

"I thought winning first place would give me the advantage."

"Well it's a chance for anyone at the bottom to get to the top! For those at the front of the pack to jump over the new hurdles, _plus ultra._" Midnight giggled as her fingers danced along her whip. "Students may form teams of two to five and the time limit is fifteen minutes—"

"_Clones are not to be used as replacement for teammates,"_ Aizawa declared, his voice echoed throughout the stadium.

Naruto snapped her fingers and grinded her teeth together before swirling her head to the pressbox. She raised her hand, hers middle finger rising up but only for Asui to pull her hand down. Todoroki frowned, his eyebrows knitted together and the blond-haired girl just snorted and focused her attention on Midoriya. It didn't matter to her one bit that her friend looked put-off with her behavior.

He started it.

"As I was saying before Eraserhead interrupted me," Midnight threw a glare at the pressbox. "The point value of each group's headband will be the total accumulation of all the points of everyone on that team. The one to wear the headband will be the horse's rider, so wear it with pride."

Naruto sat down on the ground, her hands rubbing her chin as Midnight continued to explain the rules. Whispers slowly broke out as people glanced at each other with fire in their eyes. The simplest and easiest way to beat her was to overwhelm her to get points, which meant a lot of people were after her. Her lips tugged downwards at the realization of how difficult it would be for her to get teammates.

"Quirks are allowed, of course, so I want to see some brutality out there," Midnight locked her eyes on her. "That being said, no clones are to be used as teammates and this _is_ still a human cavalry battle, so I see anyone attacking others with malicious intent, that's a red card and you'll be forced to sit out for the rest of the game."

Naruto looked at her scoreboard and felt her lips twitch._ They never said that I couldn't use my clones as a tool, but I still need to find people willing to team up with me._

"You now have fifteen minutes to decide on your teams!" Midnight ordered and Naruto swirled her head at the woman. "Begin!"

The blond-haired girl ran a hand through her ponytail and flickered her eyes to the cameras. She grimaced and scanned at the crowds of students in front of her, most of them avoiding her eyes while others formed groups in seconds. _I might have been able to score high in the Obstacle Course but these people won't take the chance that I can't protect my points._

Naruto looked down at her hands. Pure strength and deception had always been her strongest source, but there was no way she was going to send them to the hospital. Deception was key in this battle but she needed people to work with. That required her to have some faith in them, which was hard to do when she did not have enough time to get to know each other.

_But who can I team up with?_ Todoroki was out of the question, not when he made it clear of his expectations. She darted her eyes to Bakugou and shook her head. Bastard would be more willing to fight her then work together with her, not when he wanted to get the number one spot for himself. Midoriya was more likely smart enough to know it was a better idea to take points then to save them. Asui tilted her head, scanning the group of people before looking back at her.

"Why don't we team up, Uzumaki-chan?"

Naruto blinked and swirled her head at Asui, blue eyes growing wide as her classmate offered her a tiny smile. Only the continued chatting of their various classmates and competitors could be heard as blue eyes observed her frog-like classmate. A smile broke out of Naruto's face as she nodded at her classmate.

Blue eyes continued to scan for any hopeful teammates, stopping at the sight of a familiar orange-haired teen with a cheerful smile playing on her lips.

Small hands wrapped around Asui's wrist as Naruto dragged her classmate to the center of the field. Students parted way, their eyebrows knitting together as their eyes focused on the two teens. She inhaled and exhaled as her hand reached out to grab the broad shoulders of Kendou.

Orange hair smacked Naruto on the face and the blue-eyed girl winced. Green eyes grew wide at the sight of her standing right in front of her, looking at her like she was some kind of ghost for just standing there. Kendou nibbled her bottom lip, green eyes flickering back and forth between her and Asui while another green-haired girl tilted her head and leaned her body forward.

"Can we team up, Kendou?" All three girls blinked and gawked at her.

Kendou just spluttered. "Uzumaki, I want to be your friend but you do realize that there will be a lot of people after you. It is going to be harder for you to protect your points then to get those points."

"I know," Naruto took a deep breath and closed her eyes before swallowing down a lump in her throat. "But I really think we can work together and I know how to protect our points…but I need your help."

"Well Uzumaki did finish first in the obstacle race without having any problems, didn't she Kendou?" The green-haired girl from Class 1B tilted her head, leaned forward and stared down at her. "She made that move which allowed us for a time to be ahead of the boys. If she can make such underhanded tactics then I wouldn't want to be her enemy."

Kendou rubbed her chin and took a deep breath as her eyes flickered around to the various classmates. Most of them kept glancing at them while a few of them had already hurdled up together, arms wrapped around each other and their whispers carried out through the wind, tickling in her ears. She pressed her lips into a thin line as her heart thundered against her chest.

Was it loud enough for everyone to hear?

"Okay, I will join in." Kendou slumped her shoulders and laughed. "Fighting you was a long shot anyway."

"And I will join in!" The green-haired girl declared, flashing a smile at her. "Kendou told me all about ya! My name is Tokage Setsuna but you can call me Tokage!"

Naruto blinked and broke into a smile but her smile faded as a thought suddenly came to her. "Can you guys tell me what your Quirks are again? I know Asui and I remember seeing Kendou's Quirk during the exam but—"

"—You are in first place so you will definitely stand out from everyone else!" The four girls swirled their bodies around and blinked at the sight of a giggling pink-haired girl who bounced her way to them. Naruto knitted her eyebrows, glancing at the other girls and frowned when she saw their confused looks. "Team up with me, Ms. First Place!"

The girl leaned so close to the point that Naruto had to take a couple of steps back, blue eyes growing wide at the eagerness and excitement rolling off of this girl. Several gadgets decorated her body, almost reminding Naruto of those insane scientist that she had seen in television except what stood out to Naruto was her goggles. The strange cross in the goggles made Naruto wonder just how the girl was able to see me.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Hatsume Mei from the Support Course!" The girl moved her goggles up and flashed a bright smile at her. "I don't know you, but I'm going to be someone that you will use when you become a Hero."

Was she going somewhere with this?

"If I join you then that means I will be right there in the spotlight," Naruto felt her lips twitched as her fellow teammates knitted their eyebrows together and took a couple of steps back. "If I am in the spotlight then my babies will be seen by the industry big shots."

_So she wants to use me for her tools._ Naruto rubbed her chin as the girl continued to prattle on about her plans for her tools. Was it a good idea for her to take the girl in? Could she actually trust this girl? She said it herself that she was only using her to show off her tools but it was better than lying to her. She snorted and let out a laugh; her teammates blinked and blinked before throwing a glance at each other.

The honesty from Mei was just enough to make her laugh and understand the importance of this match to her.

"I think we are going to have a good relationship Mei," Naruto rubbed her chin. "Now let's start planning on how to keep our points together!"

They were going to get through to the next round even if it killed her.

* * *

"You know I'm glad that we teamed up with you!"

"Uzumaki-chan isn't someone that you want as your opponent!" Asui declared as she tugged on the various headbands wrapped around her neck. It was universally agreed by the five girls that it would be a better idea to put Asui as the rider, for no other reason then the fact that the girl would not be able to hold onto Naruto. Kendou and Tokage glanced at each other, heads bobbed together as Hatsume grinned.

"Can I use your clones in my classes?" Hatsume beamed as her eyes flickered to the various headbands wrapped around Asui's neck. Yellow eyes glinted and a smile broke out of her faces. "Sensei keeps saying I can't use them on myself or try to get him to test it out, but your clones can work in my favour."

"If we get to the next round then you can even use them to clean your house!" Naruto declared, locking eyes on the various opponents eyeing them with eager eyes and tongues almost wiggling out of their tongue. "They will even help you catch a stupid cat if we get to the next round."

Kendou frowned. "I have never heard you so desperate to win."

Losing had never been an option for her and this was her chance to prove to everyone in Konoha that she was capable of leading a team. She grinded her teeth together. They judged her for one emotional battle and decided that she was not worthy of becoming a chunin. This was her chance to prove them wrong and her chance to show Aizawa-sensei that he was wrong about her issues with trust.

She chose these people because she might grow to trust them.

"Tokage, get ready with that eye of yours!" Tokage grinned as a part of her face separated from her, floating close to their side and whirling around to have a better look of their opponents. It might not be a Byakugan but the Quirk was better for spying and grabbing the headbands then anyone else here.

Blue eyes locked on the mismatch eyes of her friend. He kept his eyes locked on her, lips pressed into a thin line as his teammates glanced at her to him. She took a deep breath, looked up at the sky and then looked ahead at the boy that seemed to be looking straight through her. Fire seemed to be lit in his eyes along with another emotion that she could make out of.

Was it possible that he heard everything between her and Jiraiya?

"Uzumaki-chan, concentrate!" Asui looked down and frowned at her. "You and Todoroki-chan can talk things out after this is over."

Tokage whistled. "You and Endeavour's kid? How does that work? Everyone knows that his Dad is a hard ass."

"Setsuna! This isn't the time for you to be gossiping about their friendship!" Kendou shook her head and flickered her green eyes from her to Todoroki. Her lips pressed into a thin line and eyebrows knitted together before she released a small sigh. "But it must have been one hell of a fight for you to be so angry with him, Uzumaki."

"We can talk about the asshole later." Naruto grinded her teeth together. "We have got a headband to protect and competitors to deceive."

"_Let the games begin!"_

"Traitors! Kendou! Tokage! How could you have decided to team up with _her!_" The boy with the furry eyes demanded as his team charged straight towards them. He growled and snarled while his teammates looked at her two teammates with frowns decorating their faces. Kendou sighed, shaking her head while Tokage just rolled her eyes, not looking one bit bothered by the accusation thrown at them.

All four of them clicked the button of the white jetpacks and buzzed through the skies, laughter echoing throughout the sky. The laughter died down as a pair of ear jacks shot towards them, whizzing and turning till it tried to grab the headband on Asui's forehead. With a frown playing on her lips, Naruto smacked the incoming earjacks till it came crashing back down to its owner.

Jirou yelped and scowled as Naruto flashed a half-turned smile and winced at the mark made by her slap. _I know anything goes but I might need to lower my strength when it comes to Jirou's ears. _She pressed her lips into a frown at the sight of a familiar fiery teen blasting straight towards them.

"That Hot Headed classmate of yours is coming straight our way!" Tokage declared as her eye zoomed straight back to them. Explosives went off from the sky and black smoke trailed off as Bakugou spread his arms apart to propel himself forward, earning shaking heads from all four of his teammates.

"That headband is mine, Whiskers!" Bakugou blasted forward with one arm and his other arm reaching straight for Asui. The fact that Bakugou's hands were longer and the damn fact she needed to balance Asui meant that she could not stop him on time. Not that it was a big deal because she already took everything in consideration.

A smile broke out of Naruto's face as Bakugou grabbed the headband on Asui's forehead. He smirked at her but the smirk faded away as the headband disappeared with white smoke clouding a small area. Asui's lips twitched while Kendou and Tokage laughed out loud as the white smoke disappeared to reveal a smiling clone.

"Don't underestimate boss!" Her clone swung her arm back like a spring before releasing itself and smashing it against Bakugou's face, sending him crashing back down to the ground. A pair of white tape shot out, whizzing and zooming straight to the falling boy. It wrapped itself tightly around Bakugou before sending him back on the top of the horse as everyone looked at the team in horror.

"Aren't you glad that we team up with Uzumaki?" Tokage laughed. "We would be the ones in Hot Head's shoes if we decided to stick with the original plan."

Now if they could continue this for another twelve more minutes then they would have everything in the bag.

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**A/N: What do you think of the team up? And of the story so far?**


	36. Chapter 36

**_A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter._**

* * *

"_Did you hear? Uzumaki stopped that Suna nin."_

Naruto loosened her grip around her chopsticks and her ears perked up as her bright blue eyes darted to her fellow customers. It had been a week since Suna tried to invade Konoha and it seemed now like people were finally going to acknowledge her hard work. Teuchi offered her a smile, his eyes twinkling with joy at what they thought might be praise for her actions.

"_Uzumaki? I thought it was the Uchiha's mission to stop him."_ Naruto tightened her grip on the chopsticks as the two males flickered their eyes at her, doubt and mistrust shining through their eyes. Teuchi frowned while Ayame reached her hand forward. Maybe she was going to try and pat her like Ayame always do whenever Naruto wanted to scream and yell at the customers for being so rude to her.

The male chunin nodded. "_She must have just helped him, but it was probably the Uchiha that did most of the work. Have you seen that move he made in the Chunin Exams?"_

Everyone always had more faith In Sasuke's abilities and ignored the damn fact that Naruto could and was _just as good as him._ She put her hand on the table, ready to throttle them but only to stop when Teuchi dropped their bowls right in front of them. His jaw clenched as his eyes flared with annoyance and Naruto felt the stirring of an emotion that she only started to realize she could feel.

It was happiness.

Even now, Naruto still felt joy at the knowledge that Teuchi believed in her boasts. When everyone seemed to doubt her capabilities and thought of her as a talentless loser, he knew better. Ayame smiled tightly as her hands grabbed hold of a pan, looking almost ready to put these people in their place.

"_Sasuke might have used a strong jutsu in the Chunin Exams,"_ Teuchi flashed them a smile and his eyes glinted like he promised to murder them. Even when Naruto looked back, she thinks it should have been obvious that the ramenstand owner was not just a simple owner. "_But Naruto is just as capable as Sasuke."_

Tears almost leaked out of her eyes but Naruto held it in. She sniffed and forced herself to give a large smile as she reminded herself again that Teuchi _always_ _believed in her._ Naruto took a sip of the miso ramen and Teuchi stared at her with such _eyes that looked at her like she was a ghost ._

She never understood why Teuchi looked at her like this but she doesn't really care. Out of all the civilians Naruto knew, he was _the only one_ to have faith in her talent as a kunoichi. The faith he had in her rivalled the faith that Mikoto had for her.

Maybe that was why she made a second vow.

On that day, Naruto vowed to show everyone that Teuchi was not wrong to have faith in her and her talents. She would show them that she was smart in the next chunin exam. That she was as capable as all those geniuses that they worshipped in the village.

She would only show them in a different type of setting, just nearly three years later.

* * *

"_I'm going to take that headband."_

Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line as a pair of mismatch eyes focused on the headbands wrapped snugly around Asui's neck. They had just another four more minutes. Four more minutes to continue running and deceiving people in order to win this battle. Her legs trembled as her heart raced against her ribs, seemingly ready to jump out of her mouth.

They just needed to hold on for just a couple of more minutes.

Ice enclosed them, barricading them from the world around them as their competitors scrambled to regain any points that they lost in the leadup for the last four minutes. Lightening crackled, encasing Kaminari like a clock as Yaoyorozu tossed an insulating-like blanket to Todoroki.

"What do you want to do?" Tokage whispered under her breath. "We have only got one minute for you to decide, Uzumaki."

Blue eyes darted to her various teammates and her lips pressed into a thin line at the pants and sweat dribbling down their faces. Making them deal with an electric shock was not a smart plan. As amazing as their Kekkai Genkai were, they would not be able to get up from Kaminari's attack. Naruto could…but they were a team. They function as one unit.

'_Sometimes Naruto, the best tactic is to withdraw and regroup. If I hadn't moved my piece back and continued to charge forward, then I would have lost.'_

Naruto inhaled as her fingers danced around the button of the jet pack. "We are going to fly ourselves out of here."

At those words they smashed their fingers on the jetpack and floated above the ground, just as Kaminari released his lightning for the whole world to see. They dodged and weaved their way through the various lightning bolts directed their way, almost as if a couple of swans doing their dance…except they were trying not to get themselves shocked.

Various classmates and friends clashed with their eyes blazing in fury. In the case of Bakugou, it was more like pure murder as he charged straight for a blond-haired boy with that arrogant smirk on his face. _He is probably going to regret pissing Bakugou off._ She grimaced as her eyes darted to the only green piece of land that seemed to be available.

The only land without any opponents nearby.

"Go there!" Her teammates bobbed their heads and whooshed into the green area. They hovered for a couple of seconds until their feet kissed the ground, their eyes focused on the squabbling teams. Times was limited and everyone seemed to have just figure out that it was just pointless to keep chasing them. Her eyes flickered to the headbands on Asui's neck before darting to the various available one on the other teams.

Todoroki and his team charged out of the small hole in the ice, their eyes fixated on them. Naruto grinded her teeth as her eyes flickered to her teammates and then to the incoming team. Blue eyes grew wide when Izuku and his team charged straight for them, a clear headband missing from their head and Naruto could just blinked.

"I would have thought Midoriya-chan would have come after us," Asui commented. "He seems so determine to win against us in the third minute of the game."

Naruto nodded. "Midoriya is also determine to get to the next round and he isn't that reckless to keep coming after us. He probably realize Todoroki would be easier to handle then me. I made too many variables for him to consider, variables that he can't risk his chance to go to the next round."

She knitted her eyebrows as one of the teams spotted them, their eyes danced like they were seeing a match worthy to be seen and a smiles so blood-thirsty that it _almost_ made her shudder. _That is the team with the guy with the same Quirk as Kirishima, right?_ Naruto bobbed her head and looked at the lowest headband, lips curled into a smile.

They did need to make some replacement headbands and Hatsume wanted to make a name for herself.

"We are going to change plans."

Her teammates jerked their heads. "Change of plans? What do you mean? Are we not going to run away anymore?"

"It is kinda boring to just keep running away," Naruto curled her lips into a smile as her eyes danced with mischief while she balanced her part of Asui's body with just one hand. Her hands reached out to the _fake_ shuriken in her pants pockets. "Why don't we steal some headbands like the others? Give them a show that they are dying to see."

Asui looked down. "Isn't that too risky? What if they took our points away? We only have four minutes, Uzumaki-chan."

"You are thinking of the unlikely chance that someone does steal a headband, aren't you?" Tokage pressed her lips into a smile as her eye floated right beside her. A smile broke out of her face. "If we are really gonna do those underhanded methods of yours then we should attack them while they are attacking each other."

"I like the idea," Naruto hummed as her blue eyes focused on the students from Class 1B. "But one minor adjustment, I will distract them while your hand steals them."

Kendou sighed. "You are going to pull a Monoma?"

"Don't know who the hell that is but yes," Naruto pulled out a couple of shuriken from her pocket and tossed it to Tokage. Small hands grabbed hold of the shuriken and a smile broke out of the recommended student's face as her finger twirled it around. "It will involve the least amount of energy for you guys."

"Monoma's plan is logical," Tokage also pointed out. "And it make sense for us to use it. With everyone so busy now trying to get back the points that they lost, they won't even notice that we stole it from them. If we wanna stand out to the Pro-Heroes then we should do this."

"_Two minutes left!"_ Tokage's arm detached itself and began to zoom, fingers twirling around the shuriken in her hand. Naruto dropped her head as the corner of her lips curled into a tiny smile as Tokage's hand hovered just slightly above the ground and released the Shuriken to the ground.

White smoke flooded the area, stopping the incoming team from attacking her as one of the boys looked at it with excitement. _I hope he realize that was just a one time deal for the Obstacle Course._ Smiles broke out of everyone's faces as the smoke faded away to reveal her clones.

"You are not even worthy of being defeated by Boss!" Her clone declared with a wild smirk. The clone rubbed the back of her shoulder, blue eyes flickering to the various cameras and flashing them a peace sign. "You are a bunch of weaklings."

"What the hell are your clones doing?" Kendou demanded. "They are going to kill us once this whole thing is over."

Naruto bobbed. "If you want your opponent to forget about you and be distracted then the best thing to do is insult them. It works like a charm."

As if to prove a point, the incoming team changed its course of direction from charging at them to flying towards her giggling clone. Tokage laughed as her hand crept up, not even brushing against their shoulders as her fingers loosened the headband from their foreheads. Naruto curved her lips into a smile, swirling her head at Kendou.

Her teammate sighed. "Tetsutesu needs to learn not to get riled every time someone insults him."

"And Monoma needs to learn to pick his enemies better," Tokage declared with a whistle. "Hot Head is really giving him one and he kinda looks good when he is pissed off."

Naruto raised her eyebrow. "Blasty looks like a damn monster when he is furious. The kids watching this are going to be crying to their mother about how scary he looks."

"You got to admit that he has strong shoulders," Tokage flashed her a cheeky smile as Naruto sighed. As much as she liked to think of Bakugou as looking like a monster from some horror movie, she would not deny that he did have some charm in his looks. It was just that his personality was as charming as a rock, which was not at all.

"He has a terrible personality so he loses brownie points if you want him for a boyfriend," Asui deadpanned as Tokage's hand continued to drop off the various shuriken around the field. Tokage laughed while Naruto wonder how did they end up discussing about the potential of Bakugou as a boyfriend. Her lips curled into a frown as Hatsume flickered her eyes between them.

"Focus on the round." Naruto sighed. "And Tokage, please stop talking about Bakugou like that. Right now we are competing against each other, not lusting after them."

Tokage raised her eyebrow. "I was speaking objectively of his potential as eye candy. My eye is still on the prize of winning the whole thing…also it seems like Hot Head is coming straight for us."

Naruto grimaced and pressed her lips into a thin line as explosives boomed throughout the sky and a lone hand seemed to be zooming towards them. Taking a deep breath, the blond-haired girl carried Asui with her left hand as her right hand reached for the final fake shuriken. Closing her eyes, Naruto put the shuriken on the ground and white smoke enveloped them.

Her clone nodded and Naruto high-fived it as the smoke faded to reveal her clone balancing Asui with her other teammates. Tokage's hand tossed the headbands to Asui as Bakugou got closer to them. The frog-like girl trembled as her fingers looped the headbands around her neck.

The board beeped and flashed their new score for the whole world to see.

"_It seems like while Uzumaki's clones taunted everyone, Tokage decided to snatch the headbands from right underneath their noses!"_ Present Mic laughed. "_That is one amazing form of teamwork, but it makes us wonder what you have been teaching these kids, Eraserhead and Vlad King."_

"_I haven't teach these kids anything and I'm sure the same can be said for Vlad King. Everything you see right now, is their determination to win."_ Naruto blinked at the logical voice of her teacher. _"Each one of these kids has something they want to show to the world and it is this desire that is making them go the extra mile."_

Her lips curled into a smile.

"Asui, launch me!" A long, slimy tongue wrapped around Naruto's body, almost like it was tying her up into a catapult before launching her straight to the air. Wind pushed her back, her hair flapping like a pair of fins as her hand reached out to grab Bakugou. He growled as one hand directed at her, sparks tickling out of his hand while her fingers gazed his newly gained—

"_TIME'S UP!"_

Both Bakugou and Naruto crashed straight to the ground at this announcement, scowls decorating their faces as Midnight blew the whistle. Rubbing the back of her head, the blond-haired girl flickered her eyes to the scoreboard and almost smiled at the new scores being shown in the screen.

"We did it!" Naruto blinked at the sight of her teammates charging right towards her, smiles decorating their faces as they lifted her up from the ground. _They are happy that we reach first place._ She blinked when Kendou, Tokage and Asui hugged her tightly while Hatsume stood in the corner, beaming at her as her eyes lingered on the Press Boxes on the top of the stadium.

The stadium broke out in cheers and Naruto just stared, blue eyes scanning the various crowds. Her eyes lingered on Jiraiya, who now had his eyes fixated on both her and Bakugou. His face looked slightly pale as he locked his eyes on the scowling boy beside her.

It looked like he was almost seeing a ghost.

"_In first place,"_ Present Mic roared over the cheering crowd. "_Team Uzumaki!"_

"We would never be in first place if it wasn't for you, Uzumaki!" Kendou slung her arm over Naruto's shoulders, lips curled into a cheerful smile. Tokage bobbed her head in agreement, green eyes twinkling with joy and a large smile flashing her teeth for the whole world to see. "If it weren't for your tactics, your insistence then we would never—"

"_In second place, Team Midoriya!"_

Naruto swirled her head at Izuku and sighed when the boy cried rivers of tears that seemed ready to flood the whole arena. Ochako held her hand up, lips curled into a bright smile and a giggle escaped from her lips. Tokoyami and his shadow-like partner, who held a headband, smiled at their accomplishment.

"_In third place—Team Todoroki!"_

Naruto nibbled her bottom lip as blue eyes fell upon the mismatch boy. His shoulders stiffened as his hand fixated on his left hand, looking at it with horror. Dread crept up on her stomach as mismatch eyes revealed no emotions, making it feel like he was getting further and further away from her.

Her friend focused his eyes on Midoriya, a strange contemplating look playing on his lips.

"_In fourth place: Team Bakugou and in fifth place: Team Shinshou."_

Bakugou scowled, arms folded against his chest and a huge scowl playing on his lips. Red eyes locked onto hers with so much anger and Naruto balled her hands into a fist. Tokage flickered her eyes between the two of them, a small frown playing on her lips.

"You were the one that went after me," Naruto reminded him as the boy pushed himself up. "The smarter strategy would have been to take more headbands before going after me."

The blond-haired boy snarled. "Who the hell wants to go for easy? If I'm going to get to the top then I need to defeat you to make a name that everyone would remember."

"He does have a shitty personality," Tokage commented as her body brush against Naruto and green eyes fixated on Bakugou. "A shame: he looks good."

Bakugou spluttered as his face turned almost an angry shade of red. _Is he embarrass at the blatant way that Tokage is admiring him? Or is he furious that she is telling him the truth?_ Her lips curled into an almost smile as Bakugou growled.

"I don't have a shitty personality, Lizard!"

Tokage rolled her eyes, not looking one bit bothered by the insulting nickname that Bakugou gave her and it made sense when Naruto consider how her Quirk worked like how a lizard could split a tail. Or maybe the girl had been teased enough times about her Quirk that she rolled with the punches. It could be either way.

"Wow, you are not that creative, Hot Head."

It looked like either the start of a beautiful friendship between Bakugou and Tokage or maybe the start of a rivalry between them.

Naruto wasn't certain nor did she want to find out.

* * *

"_Are you sure that you don't want to eat, Uzumaki?"_

"_Uzumaki-chan, you have been running around the whole day and making so many clones. You need to replenish your energy."_

"_I will eat later."_

Naruto sighed and put her hands over her head as her eyes flickered to the dark tunnels that now began to remind her of the dark sewer tunnels inside her stomach. Her hands hovered around the seal on her stomach, blue eyes darkening as she realized that she came this far without using the Kyuubi.

She shook her head as her stomach let out a cry for help, signaling to the whole world that it had been hours since it had any fuel. If it was not her stomach reminding her then it was her head. God, it throbbed and ached like there was no tomorrow. Was this how a hangover would feel? She wasn't old enough to drink but this must be how it feel.

Or maybe it was because her mouth and head were constantly trying to think and say things to her classmates to make sure that they don't realize she had issues. If one more person asked her if she was alright in the next coming days then Naruto might just scream.

_The stress from training must be really getting to me if that happens._ Naruto shook her head as her hand pulled out the necklace that she won from Tsunade. Her fingers fingered it, feeling the smoothness and the iciness of the crystal as she tried to calm down the swirl of emotions inside of her. She took a couple of deep breaths, calming down her racing heart.

_Give me some food._

That had to be what her stomach was saying to her.

Naruto released a sigh and dropped the necklace back underneath her black undershirt. The hair on the back of her neck seemed to rise and her eyes snapped upwards as blue eyes met irritated crimson eyes. Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line, a scowl playing on her lips.

"Blasty, what the—"

Bakugou grunted and he slapped a palm over her mouth, practically pulling her into the wall beside them. She grinded her teeth together, opening her mouth as she readied herself to lean forward to bite him in the hand because—_no one man handled her and get away with it._

"Shut the fuck up!" Bakugou lowered his voice as fury laced his tone. Naruto arched an eyebrow as her mouth opened slightly wider and he flashed her a look of pure annoyance. "I don't need you to make this any worse."

"_What the hell are you talking about?"_ Naruto hissed as Bakugou's eyes flashed with annoyance, his palm becoming slightly more warmer than usual. She scowled because no way was she going to bite him when he could potential detonate her mouth.

"None of our teammates felt it," a familiar voice carried from the hall that was just around the corner beside them and Naruto's eyes widened because there was only one voice that could carry both no and so much emotion at the same time. "I felt it in that moment because I have seen All Might when he used his full power up close."

_All Might?_

Blue eyes grew wide as Bakugou bored his irises into her eyes and lips curled into a sharp scowl. Naruto grimaced and yanked his hand down, making a motion to zip her mouth. Bakugou clicked his tongue and pushed her away as Naruto focused her attention on the wall.

There was only one person that seemed to have a Quirk similar to All Might.

"So what is that you're trying to say?" Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line and shoved her hand against her pockets before pressing closer to the wall. She took several deep breaths. Was she going to find out what the hell was bothering him?

"I'm saying what I felt from you was the same," Todoroki said flatly and Naruto knitted her eyebrows. _Quirks are like Kekkai Genkai? Something that is passed down in the family but Izuku's Quirk is nothing like his parents._ A lone Sharingan flashed before her and Naruto pushed the ridiculous idea to one side. "It felt far too similar."

_It could be coincidence. _Naruto nibbled her lips. _But Midoriya doesn't know how to control his Quirk until Ero-Sennin explain the concept to him. If he always had this Quirk or it had been lock inside of him…then wouldn't he always has some idea of how to use it._

But Jiraiya explained how to control Midoriya's Quirk like how she used her Chakra, which was something that needed to be learnt from a young age. She knitted her eyebrows together. No one could just suddenly learn or experiment with it; they always needed someone to guide them for it.

_I don't even know where I'm going with this._

"You…" Todoroki's voice went quiet before it sliced through the air. "Are you All Might's secret lovechild?"

_This sounds almost as silly as the time he thought he had a curse over himself._ Her lips twitched at the memory and a laugh nearly escaped from her lips, but Bakugou slapped her mouth. She shot a grateful look to the boy but he scowled as his other hand flipped her off.

Honestly how did Todoroki come up with these insane theories? Next thing she knew, he would make a theory about how Bakugou and her were related.

"Y-You're wrong!" Midoriya began quickly and it sounded almost like he was flustered. "W-Well, of course, that's exactly what the son of such a thing would say but—well, even if you don't believe me, I swear that's not it!"

_But you aren't denying a relationship between the two of you._

"Actually," Midoriya paused and his breath seemed to be growing rapid . "I wanted to ask you something too. I mean, why do you want to beat me? Why not Uzumaki? Her strength also rivals All Might…I think it even exceeds it."

Naruto gulped as her hand hovered around her stomach, sweat dripping down her face. _That isn't __**my**__ power. _The power that Midoriya must be thinking was the Kyuubi's Chakra, which was not _her _power to use. But no one knew that except Jiraiya.

"Because your Quirk is more similar to All Might then Uzumaki," Naruto blinked and relaxed her shoulder as Bakugou flickered his eyes to her. "And I want to prove a point to _him_."

'_Today, we are competitors.'_

Her mind began to put the pieces of the puzzle together as her lips curled into a frown and her hands trembled. _Is this why he doesn't want to acknowledge our friendship today? Because you don't want distractions from your goal._ She does not know if this was his reason but Naruto knew this would be the line of thinking that Todoroki would have.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Him?"

"You must know about my father," Naruto grimaced and her hands balled into her fist at the anger leaking out of Todoroki's voice. "Endeavour."

_Yeah, he is probably the third shittiest father that I know._ Naruto's mind thought of the various terrible fathers that she met in her life time and the various stories that she knew. Bile rose up as Gaara's blood-thirsty eyes flashed before her, a constant reminder that she _had been this close to losing it._

She doesn't want to imagine it.

"He's been the number two hero for as long as I can remember," ice leaked out of his voice like it always did whenever someone brought up his father. Naruto balled her hands into a fist. "If you are connected to the _number_ _one_ hero then that means I have to beat you."

Naruto frowned as Bakugou flickered his eyes at her with raised eyebrows. Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line. "My father is a man who made a name for himself during his hero career, but he could never beat someone like All Might who was always out of his reach."

Her stomach began to turn.

"And because he realized this, he knew he could never achieve it with his own power." Naruto pressed her lips together into a thin and waited for her best friend to go somewhere with this.

"W-What are you talking about, Todoroki?" Midoriya seemed to be just as shaken as Naruto's legs.

"You've heard about Quirk marriages, right?"

_I have a really bad feeling about this._

"They became a problem during the second and third generations after Quirk appeared. Choosing people soley to enhance one's own Quirk to be inherited down the line…and forcing marriages for that purpose."

'_Father will probably arrange my marriage, Naruto-chan."_

Naruto gulped down a lump and curled her lips in a scowl as her eyes bored straight to the wall, wishing not for the first time that she could just punch it. Quirk marriages sounded similar to the practices of the Hyuga Clan and even the Uchiha clan before…except the Uchiha clan did tolerate marriages outside of the clan. While the Hyuga clan disapproved, wishing to keep the Kekkai Genkai to themselves.

Love in those marriages were rarity.

"As a man of means and merit, he easily swayed my mother's family and took control of her Quirk."

Her heart launched up to her throat as a burning sensation took over her. She dug her hands against her skin, trying to regain composure of herself as something began to leak out of her eyes. Was she going to cry because of the pain coming out of Todoroki? Or because she feared that this might happen to Hinata? The Hyuga clan might have changed but there was always a risk.

'_Mikoto-obaachan…did you always knew that you love Fugaku? Sasuke-teme thinks you always love him but he looks and acts like an asshole. You are nice so you can't possibly love a meanie like him.'_

Why was her seven-year-old question echoing in her head.

'_Fugaku isn't my first love and it took time for me to learn to love him. You are a smart girl, Naruto-chan and I am sure that Hinata-chan will understand this…but our duty to our clan is far more important than any dreams and wishes we will ever have.'_

Black eyes flashed with pain as a smile played on her lips and Naruto wanted to know why this came to her mind when Todoroki said those words. She sucked in a deep breath as the shadows along the wall shifted. "All he wanted was to accomplish his own desire to raise a hero who could surpass All Might."

_Stop. I know where you are going to go with this and I don't want you to think like this._

She grinded her teeth and was about to charge right in when Bakugou yanked her back, red eyes flashing with irritation.

"I will never be that damned man's tool," he took a deep breath. "And I refused to let him make Uzumaki become his instrument of making me that damn tool."

_Idiot. You are the biggest idiot in the world. _She clenched her hands into a fist and took a couple of deep breaths to calm down her raging emotions. Her heart ached like there was a hole inside of her as the pain inside of Todoroki's voice ensnared her, reminding her that he really did not have it easy. The fact he was avoiding her and was acting like a damn asshole told her that he wanted her to not get mixed up with this mess.

_But I got mix up when he decided to become my friend._

"In my memories, my mother is always _crying."_

Why was her heart aching so badly?

"She told me she couldn't stand the sight of my left side," Todoroki said quietly and tears began to steam down Naruto's eyes as the impact of his words washed over her. "Before dumping boiling water on me."

_Where is your Mum?_

Naruto wanted to hurl so badly even though she never ate since this morning. Bakugou grabbed her arm, red eyes flashing with warning as he darted his eye from the corner to her. His lips pressed into a thin line, looking at her like she was some weakling for being so upset. _But that was her friend suffering_.

Why didn't she punch Endeavour in his face when she had the chance?

Bakugou growled and began yanking her out of the tunnel till they were in the tunnel leading them to the waiting rooms. He kicked the door to one of the waiting room open, pushed her inside the room and locked the door. She grinded her teeth as Naruto rubbed her eyes, trying to dry up the tears.

"You shouldn't give a shit, Whiskers! Don't go crying over his sob story!"

Blue eyes flared with anger and her hands balled into a fist. "Not give a shit? Don't cry over his sob story? You think I can just act normal when he said all those things! He is not just _my friend_, but also your classmate! He has been going through hell and you don't even give a shit."

There were a lot of sad stories but something about that story resonated her.

"You think something like backstories and sad stories or whatever shitty emotional baggage matters in this tournament? None of that matters," he narrowed his eyes at her. "But of course you don't have any reason to win! You should just step aside and let me reach the top. You just want to win for a friend."

Naruto narrowed her eyes and smashed her hand against the table. "_You little piece of shit! I'm not like you, who discarded his only, __**real**__ friend because of some stupid thing that you guys did as children. I forgot who the hell I was and disappointed the friend that stuck by me!"_

"You aren't winning for yourself!" He roared.

"Don't act like you know me, Bakugou." Blue eyes narrowed as her hand gripped the strand of the necklace clinging to her neck. "I have a lot of things to prove today but just like you don't care about Todoroki's backstory, I won't ever tell you why I want to win so badly."

She didn't trust anyone not to use it against her.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about the chapter. What do you think of the interaction between Naruto and Bakugou in this chapter?**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_Of all the things that my hand grabs, it has to be a skirt instead of a pants._

Naruto smoothed the wrinkles of the orange skirt, a gift from the Hokage's daughter-in-law and kept a smile plastered on her face as several of the girls looked at her with such _cold_ eyes. They kept focusing on her skirt or maybe it was just her imagination. Maybe they thought she looked kind of nice in a skirt.

She looked at the clock and wished the clock's hand would just move a little bit faster. Just ten more minutes before Iruka-sensei could come in and class would start, stopping all those girls from staring at her. She forced herself to smile even wider when Ami looked at her, lips tugged into a scowl while Sakura and Ino frowned at her.

Ami stomped over her and Naruto stiffened, lips tugged into a tight smile as brown eyes looked at her like she was a prey that she wanted to consume.

"_Is the little boy trying to act like a girl?"_ Ami sneered and like a pack of hyenas, the other girls that belonged to Sasuke's fan club approached her with cruel smiles on their faces. Their eyes glinted with so much cruelty and children were such cruel people.

_(Their cruel words would always affect her)_

Naruto grinded her teeth and narrowed her eyes as her throat burned at those words. Her hair was long and it might not be combed and tangle free like their hair, but she was a girl. Just because her clothes were constantly dirtied and the fact she enjoyed rough housing with the boys…it does _not mean_ that Naruto was not a girl like them.

She was just different.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto's hands stopped trembling and the smile on Naruto's lips became wider. Blue eyes glinted with cruelty because if Ami wanted to bully her then Naruto would hit her below the belt. Unlike her lapdogs or Sakura, Naruto could make her words drip with as much cruelty as the next person.

"_Why the hell are you smiling, Uzumaki?"_

Naruto laughed. "_I was just thinking that at least I don't snatch other people's homework and try to pass it off as my own."_

Ami grinded her teeth as the other girls took a step back as the smiles on their faces trembled. Some of them avoided Naruto's eyes while others looked at the purple-hair girl with nervous smiles playing on their lips. It was funny how all of them claimed to be Ami's friend because Naruto knew none of them liked her. But Ami's parents were rich merchants, potential people that their civilian parents could work with.

She doesn't hate them for not standing up to her…she _despises_ them for acting like they were better than her.

"_So whose homework did you steal, Stupid?"_ Everyone gawked at her, looking at her like she was insane as Ami growled at her. Naruto leaned forward as her blue eyes flared with cruelty, the same cruelty that reflected back from Ami's eyes. Her words were cruel, she knew it but Naruto was not going to act like a wallflower. "_Was it Sakura? Ino? Or one of your lapdogs?"_

Ami snarled. "_At least I look pretty and have thin legs when I wear a skirt. You look like a __**monster**__ even when you wear a skirt and nothing you ever do will make you look pretty. Face it Uzumaki, you are just __**an ugly **__**fox**__ that would be lucky if someone loves you."_

Silence reined as the other girls stared at Ami with wide eyes and horror. The purple-haired girl narrowed her eyes at them, earning nods from the other girls and Naruto grinded her teeth. What happened next was not her brightest moments, but even when Naruto looked back…_no_ _regret lingered on her_. Ami deserved what happened next because Naruto would ruin that pretty face Ami claimed to have.

Like a fox, Naruto pounced on Ami and tugged her hair as the girls screamed and cried for her to get off. They grabbed her arms, trying to pull her off of the purple-haired girl but Naruto swatted them and pulled out Ami's hair. Chucks of her hair flew to the side and the purple-haired girl scratches and screams but she does not stop.

"_Why don't I ruin that face you love so much?"_ Naruto snarled, scratching Ami and punching her in the face till blood dribbled down her face.

The door slid open and Iruka-sensei charged in, brown eyes growing wide at the sight in front of him. He flickered his eyes from the unscratched Naruto to the bleeding, crying purple-haired girl. Naruto straightened her back, flipped her hair and got off of the girl as Iruka-sensei grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.

He pulled her up until they were at eye-level. _"Naruto! Explain yourself! We don't attack our classmates!"_

At that time, Iruka's eyes did not hold any warmth to her. They were just as cold as the other people in the village, but Naruto liked him better than compared to the other teachers in the Academy. He was just indifferent to her, just ignoring her while all the other teachers picked on her.

It was his indifference that made Naruto decide not to give him an explanation, not when experience taught her that no one would ever take her side. So instead Naruto grunted, shrugged her shoulder and allowed Iruka-sensei to think she was acting like a trouble maker.

After that day, Naruto avoided wearing anything feminine and preferred to wear her clothes a size bigger.

* * *

"_She told me that she couldn't stand the sight of my left side."_

Naruto pushed and swirled her ramen, blue eyes staring blankly and taking a deep breaths in the hopes of calming down her heart. It had only been twenty minutes the information overload and her heart still ached. Her usual adoration for ramen was not even enough for her to perk up and gobble down her food like there was no tomorrow.

How could she even eat when her friend seemed to be living in self-guilt?

"Uzumaki! We finally found you!"

Blue eyes blinked and Naruto looked up, eyebrows shooting to her hairline at the sight of Yaoyorozu and Jirou wearing cheerleader outfits that really seemed to be intent of highlighting their assets. It looked cute on Jirou but for Yaoyorozu, she looked almost like one of the new characters that Jiraiya planned to introduce in his next novel. Naruto forced herself to smile at them.

"Were you searching for me? Do you need me for something?"

"Yes, we were just informed that the girls from every class would be participating in a cheer battle," Yaoyorozu explained. "We've gathered up all the others and you are the only one left! I've already got them in their uniforms so if you don't mind I'll get your measurements and—"

Naruto shook her head and crossed her arms together into a cross. "_No way_ _in hell_ are you going to make me wear a cheerleaders outfit!"

Uzumaki Naruto was well known to avoid wearing anything girly! If the school would allow her to rock pants to school then the blond-haired girl would be going to Yuuei High everyday in those dress pants that the boys got to wear. If her boss wasn't so insistent that her job required her to wear a skirt then Naruto would work everday in jeans. If it were not for the fact that it was compulsory then Naruto would never wear skirts to school.

There was a reason that she avoided dresses and skirts.

'_You look like a __**monster**__ in a skirt!"_

She clenched her hands into a fist as Yaoyorozu and Jirou glanced at each other, eyebrows knitted together as they glanced at each other with sweat dripping down their faces. They shifted from side to side before Jirou clapped her hands together, lips clapped together as her eyes looked at her like she was begging her to just comply with this.

"Please Uzumaki!" Jirou tugged her cheerleader's shirt down. "We are all being forced into this."

So what? Everyone in the world would see her in a damn skirt and shirt and would make comments about how fat she might be or how ugly she looked in a cheerleader's outfit. Her heart pounded against her ribs and sweat coated in her palms as a pair of cruel brown eyes flashed in her eyes along with her cruel smile. If that bitch see her in a cheerleader outfit then she would laugh at her.

'_**An ugly fox.'**_

Her throat burned at the memory and the tears began to build around her eyes, but Naruto blinked it away and grinded her teeth. "You will have to drag me and change me yourself if you want me to wear that outfit!"

"Uzumaki, I know you don't feel comfortable but—"

"_Yaoyorozu!"_ Her voice raised and several of the teens swirled their heads at them, eyes locked onto them and Naruto inhaled again. _One step at a time._ She unclenched her hands and swallowed down a lump before lowering her voice. _"_I am not going to make myself look like a fool for the _whole world to see_!"

'_Is the little boy trying to act like a girl?'_

Her throat dried up and Naruto wanted to punch someone. The desire to yell and scream at them was great but she swallowed it down because making a scene was not a good idea now. Instead her jaw clenched as her blue eyes stared at them with resentment, causing the two girls to glance at each other. Yaoyorozu took a seat beside her, hand patting her shoulder.

"We are going to look like fools together."

Naruto shook her head and chewed her tongue from spatting at Yaoyorozu, because her classmates stared at her with kind eyes. Maybe she was acting kind to make her wear it but Naruto was not going to chew her out for this, not when Yaoyorozu looked at her like this. Jirou took a seat right beside her and patted her other shoulder.

"We are in this together," Jirou insisted with a grimace. Her dark eyes flickered from her own cheerleader's outfit to Yaoyorozu's outfit, her eyes lingering on the way that the shirt clung to Yaoyorozu's chest. She sighed and frowned at the sight of her own smaller chest which almost made Naruto wonder if the girl wished to have just a slightly larger chest.

The blond-haired girl flickered her eyes at the matching uniforms and took a couple of deep breaths, forcing her shoulders to relax. "Who the hell was the asshole that came up with this stupid idea?"

She pulled down the zipper of her gym jacket and she stared down at her hands before flickering her eyes at Yaoyorozu and Jirou. The two girls glanced at each other, lips pressed into a thin line and rubbed the back of their necks as if they were not certain of telling her about the culprit of this stupid idea

"Aizawa-sensei."

Naruto pressed her lips into a very thin line, rubbed either sides of her head and took a couple of deep breaths. If he learnt that she refused to wear these stupid cheerleader outfit then he was going to accuse her of some other type of fear, which was stupid. But would he understand of just how uncomfortable she felt to wear it in public?

It was not like she feared the way those male eyes would try to gobble her up or anything, nor did her legs tremble at the thought. Naruto was taught as a kunoichi about the power of her body, about the importance of confidence but she _always felt_ comfortable and confident in the clothes that she liked.

"I'm going to burn it after the competition is over and the moment anyone laughs at us, I'm out."

This was probably the worst lunch that Naruto had ever been forced to experience.

* * *

"_You will surpass me."_

The cheers and laughter of his fellow classmates and competitors seemed muffled as Todoroki leaned against the wall with his eyes fixated on the crowds mingling with each other. He darted his eyes to Midoriya and then looked at the stands, where his own father stood with a blank expression. If Todoroki continued to keep his distance from Uzumaki then his father probably would leave her alone.

If he just beat Midoriya then his father would get the message that he didn't need to use his powers.

"_We've even brought real cheerleaders from America to liven things up! But wait—"_

Todoroki forced himself to look up from the ground as the cheers and chatter died down. Knitting his eyebrows together, he followed the eyes of his fellow male classmates and felt his throat tightened at the sight of all the girls, including Uzumaki, wearing a cheerleader outfit. Mismatch eyes fixated on the flushed cheeks of Uzumaki as a gentle breeze swoop in, giving almost everyone the slightest glimpse of her underwear.

His cheeks almost burned red as his left side of the body began to heat up while his eyes could not stop itself to look down to where her cheerleader's shirt seemed to clung to her chest. He rubbed the back of his neck as a strange feeling in his stomach grew as a few of the boys openly stared at Uzumaki and the other girls.

Practically one purple-haired boy, who seemed to be salivating at the sight in front of him.

"_What's going on Class A? What kind of fan service is this? We already had one in the Obstacle Race!"_

From right in front of him, Kaminari and Mineta shot each other looks and gave each other a thumbs up. Yaoyorozu narrowed her eyes, roughly waving a pom-pom in the air and let out a gasp of indignation. "Kaminari-san, Mineta-san! You _tricked_ us, didn't you? Do you know I had to beg Uzumaki to do this!"

"Do you know how hard it was for us to convince her?" Jirou yelled, waving her pom-pom.

Mismatch eyes widened and he focused on Uzumaki. A small frown played on his lips as blue eyes flared with annoyance and anger, looking like she might just murder those two boys. Todoroki forced himself to focus on his friend's eyes when the girl looked at him, daring him to say something about the outfit that she was being worn.

_I have a feeling if I say anything, she might just chew my head off._

He just kept quiet as Uzumaki grabbed Yaoyorozu, lips curled into a smile but it was not her fake smile. The smile on her lips was not even that mischievous smile that she makes when she planned to annoy someone or play some kind of underhand trick. No, the smile looked like the kind of smile that the devil would make when offering someone a deal.

Yaoyorozu's eyes brightened up as the girl whispered something with her eyes occasionally darting to the boys. Black eyes glinted with joy and the older girl clapped her hands together, bouncing in her spot before darting straight to the tunnels.

Uzumaki nodded and stomped straight to the grinning two boys, whose grins slowly faded and their faces growing paler and paler by the second. Understandable when the girl looked like she was the predator just ready to tear down her prey into tiny pieces. The other girls just stood back, eyebrows knitted together and hopeful smiles playing on their lips.

"_Oh Boys!"_ Uzumaki's tone was laced with sweetness as her blue eyes glinted with rage that even made a couple of the members of the crowd squirm in their seats. Uzumaki's Guardian (_he had to be her guardian from that conversation he heard)_ gulped, paled and stared at the two teens with a sad smile playing on his lips. "_You are going to be wearing the same cheerleading outfits."_

Mineta and Kaminari balked. "Uzumaki, aren't you being a little—"

"Okay," the boys relaxed as the blond-haired girl flashed them a sweet smile. "Let me make it clear: you have two options for your punishment. Either you wear the cheerleading outfits that Yaoyorozu is going to prepare or _I will crush your ribs, tear your balls out and feed them to the wolves._ Now take your option."

Mineta and Kaminari whimpered and clutched his crotch. "Aren't you being a little bit cruel?"

"I mean you used that technique! Surely you must be comfortable with this!"

Blue eyes darkened. "That was a move which exaggerates my body proportions and is used as a trick to get myself ahead of a couple of people! This does not mean I want the world to see me in my normal body proportion!"

Uzumaki clenched and unclenched her hands as her breathing got more and more rapid, almost telling him that in any moment that the girl might actually knock them out. Todoroki does not understand what he did next because the plan was to ignore Uzumaki. The plan had been to show everyone that Uzumaki and him did not have any kind of relationship.

But Uzumaki always had a way to make him forget of the original plan.

He pushed himself off of the wall, strolled straight to Uzumaki and the girl blinked, looking almost stupefied by his actions. Todoroki took a deep breath, placed his large lands on her shoulders and lowered his body slightly till they were at eye level. Puffing her cheeks, Uzumaki raised her eyebrow at him.

"_Relax."_

Uzumaki lowered her head as her shoulders tensed up while Kaminari and Mineta scooted away from the furious blond-haired girl. "You can't make a scene here."

'_If they thought I was a monster then why don't I become one?'_

He did not want Uzumaki to lose sight of herself.

"They made us look like fools, Todoroki!" she hissed. "Now the whole world is going to see how ridiculous I look in a cheerleader's outfit? Oh and I bet you that there is going to be a lot of comments about how ugly I look in this outfit and—"

"You don't look ugly," Uzumaki blinked and Todoroki focused his eyes on her. "You look _pretty_ in the outfit."

Uzumaki blinked and blinked as her whole face burned up to a bright shade of red. Her lips opened and closed, almost like a fish before she jerked her head up to look at him. He nodded, patted her shoulders while everyone just stared at them with raised eyebrows. Shouto felt himself growing even more uncomfortable when Uzumaki's Guardian stared at him with blank eyes.

It must have been his imagination but it felt like the man was glaring at him.

"Thank you, Todoroki!" Kaminari and Mineta rushed towards him, hands grabbing his pants and mismatch eyes flared with annoyance at the antics of his two classmates. He inhaled and exhaled as Yaoyorozu glided towards them, lips curled into a smile as she brought out two cheerleading outfits.

"_Wear the outfit that Yaoyorozu prepared for you two. You owe the girls and Uzumaki this much for putting them through this shitty stunt."_

If wearing a couple of cheerleading outfits would help calm Uzumaki and the other girls down then Todoroki would help them. Beside, it really made him want to freeze those two for forcing Uzumaki to be wearing something that she did not feel comfortable with and in an outfit that made all the other boys ogle her.

It had nothing to do with the fact he wanted to see Uzumaki cheer up and see one of those real smiles that her Guardian talked about.

* * *

**A/N: What do you think of the last couple of flashbacks? And of the pace that Naruto and Todoroki's relationship are going?**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_Should I just be predictable and just go for a single punch with Ashido?_

Naruto swirled her can of soda, blue eyes fixated on the logo of her drink. In just another fifteen, the first rounds would start and her match was going to be the first one that everyone would see. She took a deep breath and she took another sip of her soda, relishing at its sweet taste. Too much sugar was bad for one's health or so she had been told, but it was the second best thing to destress her.

The first was of course the sweet taste of ramen.

Ashido's Quirk was considered to be dangerous since it had acidic qualities. Naruto nibbled her bottom lip, her eyebrows knitted together. _They will think that I'm not capable of anything but clones, strength and transformation…which isn't true. I have got three more jutsu that they don't know about._ She stretched her fingers and rubbed her stomach.

The door to the waiting room slid opened and Midoriya stepped in, green eyes flickering through the mostly empty waiting room. Green eyes widened at the sight of her, which made Naruto frown because her classmate should know that it was time for her to prepare herself for the next match.

"I-I'm sorry, Uzumaki…I didn't know you were here." Midoriya reached his hand out to open the door but Naruto released a loud sigh. Her classmate blinked, clicked his heels together before turning his whole body to her. The blond-haired girl forced herself to smile before patting to the empty chair in front of her.

He smiled at her, but there was a slight tremble in his smile telling her that he was nervous about something. Naruto nibbled her lips and knitted her eyebrows together as her hand continued to swirl the can of soda. Midoriya darted his eyes from her drink then to her before looking at the television screen, where the recreational games were still being shown.

"Nervous about your match?"

It was the only explanation that could explain his behavior.

Midoriya furiously nodded. Green eyes focused on the table in front of them, never looking at her and the blond-haired girl placed the can on the table. Her head rested on the table, head tilted to the side as blue eyes focused on the boy that kept shifting in his seat. If he kept shifting side to side then Naruto might just have her eyes rolling out of her face. Honestly, it felt like the whole world was spinning if she just fixated her eyes on him.

"Ojiro-kun told me about Shinshou's Quirk." Midoriya finally said.

Naruto blinked. "His Quirk? Does it have to do with why he refused to fight in the tournament?"

"Yeah," Midoriya pulled out a notebook and flipped to a page and blue eyes widened at the diagrams and annotations made by her classmate. He grimaced. "It's a really powerful Quirk when I think about it and it worries me too."

Naruto held a finger up. "What is his Quirk, Midoriya? You act like I should know it."

The boy flushed a light shade of red and rubbed the back of his neck as a nervous laugh escaped from his lips. Naruto just rolled her eyes, lips curled upwards to a point where she was nearly smiling and then it stopped. As much as she liked Midoriya and cared for him, there was no way Naruto would allow herself to get vulnerable around him. Out of everyone in their class, he was the only one who had seen what she could potentially do.

"Shinshou can brainwash people," Naruto blinked as Midoriya pressed his lips into a thin line. "All he needs is for someone to answer him for him to brainwash them. It was how he got Ojiro, Aoyama and that guy from Class B to work with him. Ojiro only realized what happened when Bakugou brushed against him since it snapped him out of it."

_It sounds almost similar to the jutsu that Ino used on Sakura in the preliminary rounds of the Chunin Exam._ Naruto clasped her hands together as Midoriya gazed down at his book, lips pressed into a tiny frown. She inhaled as her fingers began to trace patterns all around the table, blue eyes looking at the clock as a pair of faded green eyes flashed before her eyes along with the slumped body of a platinum-blond haired girl.

_Would Sakura snap out of it if I hadn't kept yelling at her?_

She sucked in another breath and forced herself to look at her trembling classmate.

"You realize that you need to be quick with him, don't you Midoriya?" Her classmate blinked and the blond-haired girl leaned forward, blue eyes never wavering away from those emerald eyes. "All that training with Ero-Sennin would mean shit the moment that guy brainwashes you."

Midoriya hunched his shoulder. "I realize that and I don't know what to do if he manages to get me to talk. How do you just suddenly snap yourself out of a Quirk like that? There won't be anyone else in the arena to help me snap out of it nor could someone snap me out of it since it will be illegal. It will be nothing short of a miracle if I am able to snap out of it."

"You just need to be quick, Midoriya."

Her classmate ran his hand through his hair and took several deep breaths. "But what if I'm not quick enough? You and Jiraiya-san might have helped me get a handle of my Quirk but I'm nowhere near mastering it. What if a punch won't be enough for him?"

Naruto sighed and regarded the green-haired boy. His hands seemed to be clenching his pants like it was his lifeline and his voice leaked with so much frustration. She reached her hand out, hovering just above his head before she dropped her hand to her side. _He is not Hinata._

Naruto just inhaled again, trying to calm down her clenching heart.

"Then you will need to train harder," Green eyes widened at her response and Naruto looked at her own hands. "Look there is always going to be someone stronger than you and there is always going to be someone smarter than you. But you don't let those thoughts cloud you, you just have to pick yourself up and train your ass off. You need to think of a solution instead of worrying about a problem."

There was an irony in her words but Naruto just couldn't find them.

* * *

_The whole world is watching._

"_It's the moment you've all been waiting for!"_ Present Mic cheered, giving the crowds a moment as their cries bounced off the walls of the stadium, forcing the ground beneath her feet to tremble with the volume. "_The finals!"_

Flames erupted to life from the giant cauldrons on each corner of the arena before her. Naruto's steps hit the grass with even steps as the flames danced in front of her eyes. She stepped away from the tunnel and towards the concrete arena. _This is a fight where my emotions won't be in control of me. This is a fight that I __**must**__ win._

"_Starting off our first match, she has a bubbly personality that clashes with her Quirk, we have Ashido Mina from Class 1-A!"_

The crowds let out cheers, whistles and shouts thudding in her ear. It was strange, in a way, these people who didn't even know them cheered for them. Was it in excitement? Or were they truly cheering for them? Would they cheer for anyone? It was a wonder what made these people cheer for them.

Ashido appeared in her vision straight across the arena, a wide smile on her lips and her eyes settled into heavy determination. She flexed her fingers and Naruto dropped her smile, straightening her shoulders as each step brought her closer to the ring.

"_And in this corner! She smiles like an angel but has tricks in her sleeves that can rival the devil!"_ Present Mic cheered and she wondered what type of reaction Aizawa was making from right beside him. "_Class A's own resident trickster—Uzumaki Naruto!"_

Naruto hoped onto the arena as Ashido skipped towards the other side of the arena. Her classmate offered a smile from the other side before taking a couple of deep breaths. Midnight observed the two of them from her seat beside the ring while Cementoss mold a chair for himself. He took a seat right beside Midnight.

_I need to show them that I have improved and that they were wrong about me._

"I'm going to go all out," Ashido declared, lips curled up into a smile. "So prepare yourself, Uzumaki!"

Naruto inhaled and exhaled, hands coming together as Midnight raised her whip. _ She won't be able to walk tomorrow if I punch her. I still need to be considerate about my strength. But I need to show the world that I have improved._ "I will make it your worthwhile."

"_This is the first match, so let's make this one to remember!"_ Present Mic declared.

There were a lot of reasons for her to make this a battle that everyone would remember. A part of her still wanted to show Konoha about how wrong they were about her, and thought to show them that Jiraiya hadn't been lying to them. There were other reasons too but she couldn't recall what they were.

_Maybe it will come again in a dream._

"_Ready?"_

Naruto met Ashido's gaze.

_She wants to win just as badly as I do._

"_Begin!"_

Acid shot out of Ashido's hands, guzzling and flying straight towards Naruto and the blond-haired girl swirled and dodged the attacks like a dancer. Her classmate charged straight towards her, yellow eyes narrowed and a determined smile on her lips. _I can't let her acid attacks hit me and have people realize that there is something not right about me._

'_Oh? You got the leaf to split in half? Alright I will teach you a C-rank wind jutsu."_

Naruto took a deep breath, weaved her hands together and fifty shadow clones appeared right in front of her, almost appearing like a wall. Various people in the crowd leaned forward while Ashido smiled. She charged straight to the clones, shooting acids at them while Naruto grabbed one of her shadow clones. Her clone darted her eyes at her, lips curled into a smile.

_Winning this Sports Festival means the world to me._

"I thought you were going to make it harder for me, Uzumaki!" Ashido declared with a frown and Naruto felt a tiny smile curling on her lips. "You have been using so many tricks during the last two obstacles! You can't expect me to believe that you decided on this tactic!"

'_You can't always win by just overwhelming people with shadow clones, Naruto!"_

The tactic of just overwhelming clones was a tactic that she had always used since she learnt the jutsu. What was the point of making a plan when she could just overwhelm them with clones? It was a lot more harder for them to fight various clones then make some underhanded trick that probably wouldn't work.

She curled her lips into a larger smile as her fingers played with the newly formed shuriken while Ashido continued to dissolved the wall of clones. One of the clones looked back, lips curling into a wild smirk when Naruto parted her hands to the side.

Her clones parted and Naruto immediately tossed the shuriken straight at Ashido. _Snake. Ram. Boar. Horse. Bird. _Time seemed to have slow down as she made those hand seals before finally Naruto clapped her hands together, producing a powerful gale of wind that propelled the shuriken to greater speeds. Ashido gulped, took a step backwards as the shuriken flew closer to her.

The shuriken transformed and silence reined as the shuriken revealed to be her clone. Her clone grinned and smashed her hands against Ashido's face, sending her flying out of the ring and clashing straight to the walls. _The theory that my clones were less stronger than me was just proven wrong._ She winced as her classmate slumped down to the ground.

"_Replay the tape! I want to see what just happened!"_ Present Mic declared. Naruto turned her head to the screen, blue eyes growing blank as everyone watched the scene replayed in slow motion for everyone to see. Silence seemed to rein as people processed the speed in which her clone attacked.

"_It seems like that while Ashido was attacking the clones, Uzumaki decided to make her clone transform into a shuriken,"_ Present Mic's voice got louder as the chair squeaked, hinting that the man was about to be out of his seat. "_And then she did a couple of hand seals that made a huge gale of wind that allowed her to push her clone-shuriken to move faster. Either way: Uzumaki is the winner!"_

Midnight glared at the press box. "Ashido is out of bounds and Uzumaki advances to the next round!"

Cheers erupted along the stands and Naruto stared at the cheering people, blue eyes fixated on her smiling mentor. Pride leaked through his eyes almost making her smile but then the cheers of the crowd stopped her, reminding her that most of these people didn't know her.

Only Jiraya was truly cheering for her.

* * *

_I know I should go and watch Kendou's match but it won't start for another ten minutes. _Naruto pressed her hands against her pockets as the scent of sweat tickled her nostrils along with the bright lights that seemed ready to blind her. She took a deep breath, fingers fiddling with her necklace as her legs dragged her to god knows where.

Hopefully to a place where she could get another soda.

"You disgrace me, Shouto."

Naruto froze when the echoes of Endeavour's voice drummed against her ears. _Shouldn't he be proud that his own son kept being in the top three?_ She clenched her hands into a fist, almost tempted to a punch a damn wall but her hands stayed frozen by her side. Naruto took another deep breath, forcing herself to smile.

"You could have crushed both the obstacle course and the cavalry battle if you used your left side!" Endeavour growled.

_Is he still trying to force Todoroki to do something that he doesn't want to do?_ Naruto grinded her teeth together as she strode down the hallway. Endeavour's loud voice guided her to them as Todoroki's pained voice echoed in her ear, reminding her of just how much pain he must have been enduring throughout his life. Her hands balled into a fist.

"You should grow up Shouto and stop rebelling like you are some petulant child!" Endeavour snarled. "You have no time to think of relationships. Your duty is to surpass All Might! You are different from your brothers and sister. You are my greatest creation!"

"He is your son! Not some fucked up tool that you can use!"

Turquoise eyes turned to her, startled at her presence while Todoroki fixed his eyes on her. Naruto's throat dried up at the complete blankness in his mismatch eyes. _He must be in a world of pain._ She clenched her hands into a fist, ready to punch Endeavour for putting her friend through such a shitty situation. If someone kept talking to their child like that…then of course they would never use that side of them.

"Uzumaki, this is not your business." Endeavour snarled. His eyes flared with anger and distaste as he looked at her, almost reminding her of another sets of eyes that used to look at her in that way. She took several deep breaths as Todoroki's eyes flickered to her with concern.

"It is my business!" Todoroki blinked while Endeavour growled as the blond-haired girl stride forward. "You asked me to convince my friend to use a part of his Quirk that he doesn't want to use."

A pair of mismatch eyes flared with irritation and anger, earning a sigh from Naruto. She swirled her head at him, narrowing her eyes at him. Honestly did he actually believe she would do what his father wanted? Just because it had been a curiosity to know what his left side did, it doesn't mean she wanted him to do something that he felt uncomfortable with doing.

"I refused your father's request, Todoroki," her friend blinked and his mismatch eyes revealed no emotions. "But this is my business because Todoroki is my friend. Endeavour means never to give up. It means to try hard to achieve something and if that was your initial intentions when you became a Hero…then I respect that. But no one will ever respect you if they knew of the things that you are saying to your own son!"

"Uzumaki…"

"For a man with such a great hero name, I see a loser that just gave up." Naruto closed her eyes, took several deep breaths as she thought of Hinata._ She proved everyone wrong about her when she fought Neji_. "You know I don't know much about heroes but I think heroes are people that pick themselves up and continue to fight for their goals."

"_I-I can still fight!"_

Pale eyes filled with determination flashed before her and Naruto picked up the courage to continue grilling the man. _Hinata used to say I inspired her to get stronger and have more confidence._ She took another deep breath and fixated her bright blue eyes at Endeavour.

"You just gave up and ended up hurting the people around you!" She grinded her teeth together. "Do you ever think that your actions to your own family is the reason that Todoroki refuse to use his left side? Because everything that is bad to him is what he associates with you!"

Endeavour kept quiet as Todoroki flickered his eyes to her with wide eyes. She stared back at him with her smile dropped and blue eyes focused on the burned mark on his left side. _She told me she couldn't stand the sight of my left side._ With a father like that, who constantly thought of himself then Naruto couldn't imagine the level of abuse Todoroki's mother endured.

"If Todoroki surpass All Might then it would be Todoroki that did it," Naruto kept her eyes fixated on her friend. "Because it was _him_ that did it, not you. Todoroki is his own person, not some copy of you. He is Todoroki Shouto…not Todoroki whatever your first name is."

Just like she was not the Kyuubi, Todoroki Shouto was not his father.

* * *

**A/N: Please tell me what you think about this chapter and of the interaction between Naruto and Izuku.**


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

_He should stop acting so broody._

At eight and three days, Naruto longed to have the old Sasuke back. The Sasuke, who constantly plays with her and tries to show off how much he liked tomatoes. _He acted like he was the only one to lose his parents. _She lost her parents and so did a couple of kids in their class but none of them acted like assholes.

Naruto did not want him to stop grieving because she still cried at night. Every night before she sleep, she was reminded the kind Mikoto-obaachan was gone, buried in the cold, hard ground like her parents and a river of tears would overcome her. But Mikoto-obaachan and Fugaku loved Sasuke and Naruto doesn't think they want to see him like this.

Mikoto-obaachan never liked it when either one of them was sad. _See? A smile looks better than a frown._ That was what his mother would tell her whenever she felt upset with Sasuke and his mean behaviour. His mother used to tickle them in the stomach, telling them that they needed to get along. _I don't want to see either of you crying or frowning, you understand me?_ Mikoto will be upset with Sasuke if he continued to act like this.

"_Stop moping!"_

Sasuke looked up from the pier and flickered his eyes to her. The warmth and innocence in those eyes were gone, replaced with eyes that Naruto had always seen directed to her whenever she goes to the grocery store to buy food. Her throat dried up and her hands began to tremble as her heart raced against her ribs like it always did whenever she saw those _cold_ eyes.

This wasn't Sasuke.

Her friend scowled and his grinded his teeth together. "_You make it seem like it is easy!"_

"_Because it is easy!"_ She raised her voice, put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. "_You think people give a crap that you lost your parents? You think the other kids give a shit! They don't care. You aren't the first orphan!"_

When Naruto looked back at this day, her heart clenched and a flood of grief overcomes her because those were not the words she should have spoken. But at the age of eight and a few days, Naruto pulled her hair and growled like a dog at him. She went through the whole process and no one seemed to care about them.

No one really cared about orphans.

Sasuke clenched his hands into a fist. "_Naruto…"_

"_Don't Naruto me! You think your parents would have wanted to see you act like a brooding baby!"_ She just wanted him to stop scowling, to stop giving people those cold eyes because her whole body was always shaking at the sight of it. Every day, a little piece of that warmth that Naruto cherish seemed to be fading and seemed to be replaced with just pure _cold_ eyes.

His black eyes glinted with even more coldness and his lips twisted into a scowl reminiscent of Ami. Dread pooled into her stomach but she straightened her back, blue eyes filled with annoyance and defiance for what was going to be said to her.

"_What the hell would you know what they want! They __**weren't**__ your family!"_

Tears welled up in her eyes but Naruto clenched her hands into a fist, blink back the tears as Sasuke took several rapid breaths. His eyes looked almost apologetic but it was not enough to ease her clenching heart. Not enough to stop the burn she felt in her throat.

_She never liked Fugaku but Naruto always consider Mikoto to be like her mother. _

Naruto never cried because tears were for the weak.

"_I thought Mikoto-obaachan as my mother!"_ Naruto took several deep breaths and stopped herself from slapping Sasuke. Ami and all those bullies could get hurt, but Sasuke was _and will always _be her friend. "_And I know she wouldn't want to see you become some kind of zombie."_

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "_She might have been like a mother to you…but she was __**my**__ mother."_

That was the start of their many fights and just like every fight they had, it would take a couple of days before they patch things up. But things were never the same ever again and Naruto wondered if maybe she should have pushed him harder.

When Naruto looked back at this day and learnt the truth about what happened that night, all she thinks was that was the day Sasuke began his slow descent into the darkness.

She blamed herself for not trying to help guide and support him because that was what Mikoto-obaachan would have wanted from her. So three years later when Naruto see another friend suffering, she decided to do what she should have done with her friends in Konoha.

She tried to be there for them and support them in any way that she could.

* * *

Naruto could only sigh and clasped her hands against her head as Todoroki gazed at her with blank eyes. The moment his father walked away from them, her friend dragged her into the nearest empty waiting room and locked the door. It was quite a shame because Naruto wanted to see Kendou's match against Tokoyami live…not in the television screen of the waiting room.

"Why did you say those words? Why didn't you do like my father wanted?"

Todoroki's words hug in the air without any accusation but the slight raise in his tone spoke volumes about his curiosity. Naruto slowly dropped her hands, blue eyes fixated on her friend and her throat began to dry up. Nothing about Todoroki seemed to have really changed but his eyes always held some kind of shine in them. Something to tell her about his feelings but his eyes seemed to be completely blank.

She nibbled her lips and tucked a strand of blond hair against her ear. "Because he needed someone to yell at him."

Todoroki nodded. "And his desire?"

Naruto inhaled and rubbed the back of her neck, fingers pressing against any knots in the back of her neck. Why did she always get knots in the worst of times? Todoroki gazed at her with such expectant eyes that her back started to feel less rounded up. She exhaled as her eyes dropped slightly but she does not smile at him.

There was nothing to smile about.

"Because it is _your _choice to use it," Todoroki nodded and the blond-haired girl locked her eyes on her friend. "And I can't convince you to do something that you don't want to do. I never understood why you never use it until I learn you talk to Midoriya."

The temperature in the room dropped and goosebumps began to form around Naruto's arms as Todoroki's eyes flared with fire, hinting of just how furious he was with her. She fiddled with her fingers, avoiding his furious eyes as her cheeks burned up. _Gotta learn to keep my mouth shut._ This was going to become messy, she could feel it in her stomach.

As much as Todoroki was calm and rational, her friend still had a temper that could almost rival her own.

"How much did you hear?" His tone was low and there was no rumble in his voice that indicated that her friend was going to lose it. She straightened her back, nibbled her bottom lip and stared at those blank eyes.

"I heard about your mother throwing boiling water at you."

Todoroki clenched and unclenched his hands before smacking the table. "You shouldn't _listen_ in conversation."

Blue eyes glinted with fire as mismatch eyes narrowed at her. She grinded her teeth together as Todoroki took several deep breaths, looking at her like she betrayed him for listening in on the conversation. Naruto clenched her hands into a fist, willing for herself not to be tempted to punch her friend on the face.

"I wouldn't have listened in if you didn't act like a complete ass!" She stood up from her seat and slammed both her hands on the table, causing it to rumble as Todoroki stood up from his own seat. He narrowed his eyes at her, jaw clenched and…_it had been a while_ since they argued like this.

"That was my personal business."

"I know but you were acting so weird for the last couple of days." Naruto blew a strand of her blond hair and blue eyes fixated at him with irritation. Todoroki stared at her. She fixated her eyes on the burnt mark that decorated his face. He tore his eyes away from her as the silence between them grew to the point that she was shifting in her seat and rubbing the back of her neck. He kept his eyes fixated on her.

Todoroki gazed at her. "And you thought listening in on the conversation would help you?"

She flinched before slowly nodding her head, her head lowered and her blond-hair hid her eyes. No words spoke between them but Todoroki's eyes seemed to be rested on her. She raised her head, focusing her eyes on the burnt mark that decorated his face. _It sounds stupid when he says it in that way._

He frowned and she decided maybe she needed to keep her tone down.

"I just wanted to know why you wanted to ignore our friendship," she kept her eyes fixated. "You were just acting like an ass and that made me frustrated. I didn't want to be your friend because I was afraid this would happen again."

'_She was __**my mother**_."

It started with something harsh and then it fester to the point that they lose sight of their original friendship. She took a deep breath as Todoroki settled his eyes at her before he released a sigh. Naruto looked up, bright blue eyes wavering as he settled his eyes on her.

"I'm sorry," Todoroki said quietly and Naruto blinked. "For what I said but I thought if you were pissed or focus on something else then my father would get the wrong impression of how friendship."

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "You could have warned me."

"I should have," Todoroki agreed.

The only sound that seemed to be heard between them was the sound of the television. Todoroki inhaled and exhaled as his eyes fixated on her. "The way I want to reach my goal doesn't warrant the way I treated you. I shouldn't have tried to break our friendship for just a day and tell you about what's happening."

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and Todoroki settled his gaze on her. "It showed that I lack restraint and with my frustration with my own father, I took it out on you."

"That wasn't the problem."

Todoroki's gaze lingered on her but Naruto kept her eyes fixated on the television screen. Blue eyes faded and she flickered her eyes at him. "You can lash out at me and I will argue right back…you know I can scream right back at you. But I don't want you to just shoulder the burden of your Father."

"You have a lot on your plate," Todoroki said quietly. "Telling you about my problems would have given you more stress."

Naruto nodded and her fingers began to trace the pattern of her necklace. Todoroki stared at the television screen, eyes growing blank and lips pressed into a thin line as Tokoyami's Dark Shadow crashed Kendou against the ground. She looked at him, blue eyes lingering on his face. It lingered the most on his left side, fixated on his turquoise eye and red hair half.

"It wouldn't have given me stress because we are friends," Todoroki swirled his head at her and Naruto rubbed the back of her neck. "I know I don't talk to you about my problems but that's more in line with me thinking that I can handle it."

Todoroki gazed at her. "You can't handle years of abuse by yourself."

_You don't know a thing._ Those words were on the tip of her tongue but Naruto held herself back as her blue eyes fixated on him. She took a couple of deep breaths, hands rubbing against the back of her neck and fixated on him. She could not tell him about what she endured, not when he probably would never fully comprehend what it was like but she could tell him something else.

"Do you know that speech I made in the Sports Festival?" Todoroki nodded and Naruto took a deep breath. "Hinata-chan was there for me in every step of the way, always supporting me and helping me forget those painful days. I probably would have cracked if it wasn't for her. She helped me endure it just like I help her endure the constant bullying she faced from her own family."

'_Did they make you cry again? Let me beat up that stupid Neji!"_

She should have allowed her to hit him.

'_Naruto-chan!'_

She inhaled and exhaled. "And I let her down by just closing myself off from her. She was my support system throughout those years of pain and instead of reassuring her, instead of picking myself back up…I crashed. Wasn't there anyone in your family that was like that to you? Someone that supported you and helped you endure."

Todoroki kept quiet and nodded. "My mother."

His hand hovered over his left side and Naruto grabbed the television screen remote, switching off the television as Todoroki's eyes lingered with grief. _She poured boiling water on my left side._ Naruto inhaled and exhaled as she bit back the harsh words that seemed ready to come out. Gentleness wasn't something she was used to, but her friend needed it.

"She was wrong about you," Todoroki lowered his hand and Naruto looked at him. "You aren't your father and you don't look anything like him. Maybe when you are angry but your Dad looks like he has a stick up his ass 24/7. It is kinda common with all assholes so it is an asshole's trait…which you don't always have."

Mismatch eyes flashed with confusion as Naruto rubbed the back of her neck. _They say being honest does wonders with a friendship so I guess I need to be honest with him._

"You probably take after your Mum because you are a lot more gentle and caring than your Dad," Todoroki blinked as Naruto took deep breaths. _This is harder than I thought._ "So you had to take it from your Mum and she must be really pretty because your good looks probably came her. I mean you probably look better than Yaoyorozu if you were a girl! And you look like a damn Prince which is kind of not…"

She wanted the word vomit to die down, but the sadness in Todoroki's eyes and the pain that he seemed to be enduring was making her want to speak more and more. Her cheeks burned up as more and more words spilled out of her mouth like how nice his mother must look, along with how warm he actually was. Silence seemed to be his response and she wanted to know what went through his head.

Her word vomit began to fade away as her blue eyes took in the expression of her friend. There wasn't a smile decorating his face or even a smirk. There wasn't even a look of annoyance about how much she semed to be talking instead he just looked at loss. He looked almost confused at what to say or do.

"Thank you."

Blue eyes softened slightly and Naruto fixed her eyes at her confused friend. So many emotions flood through those eyes, emotions that were making her tummy feel almost kind of weird and making her cheeks feel like they were on fire. She stared at him and somehow she knew that he was being completely sincere with his gratitude.

"I'm always going to be there to support you," Naruto paused and looked at him. "But you know? You might associate fire with your Father but fire was what gave me warmth in the cold winters in my village when I never had a home. I guess what I'm trying to say is that fire can save people too…not just ice. I don't expect you to use it but I just want you to know that fact."

She wondered what made her reveal that small fact about her to him.

(_Years later, Naruto learnt that it was because she began to trust him not to break her faith in him)._

* * *

"_Making a weird face despite his excellent performance, it's Midoriya Izuku from Class A." _Present Mic yelled. His voices bounced off from the stands as the crowds surrounding her roared their approval. "_Going against, sorry but this guy hasn't really done anything to stand out yet! It's Shinsou Hitoshi from Class C."_

Green hair flew in the air as Midoriya offered a shaky smile. Shinsou rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes looking bored. Naruto took a deep breath and leaned forward, blue eyes fixated on the boy who had come so far now and she blinked when she felt a pair of hands on her shoulder. Blue eyes widened at the sight of her.

"What are you doing here? I thought Tokoyami did a number on you."

Kendou rubbed the back of her neck, lips playing into a bitter smile as she touched the scratches on her face. "Recovery girl is amazing when it comes to healing, but your classmates is really strong. Man, it makes me think that I just need to train even more."

"You don't seem to be upset about it," Naruto commented.

Kendou looked at her and raised her eyebrows at her. "It was a great fight for me and there is always a next time for me to defeat him," she puffed her cheeks and folded her arms against her chest as a smile broke out of her face. "But I really wanted to fight you."

Naruto blinked and almost quirked her lips but her eyes focused on her nervous friends. She tucked a strand of her blond-hair, lips pressed into a smile and gave a thumbs-up when Midoriya's eyes landed on her. She punched her hand to her fist, causing the boy to smile at her.

The smile faded and Midoriya turned his attention onto the purple-haired boy, hands clenched into a fist as he shifted his body into the standard kata that was taught to the Academy students in Konoha. _Be quick, Midoriya._ She prayed Shinsou did not plan to rile him up.

"That monkey was going on about his pride," Shinsou grinded his teeth and eyes fixated on Midoriya. Her friend froze, eyes growing with rage as he clenched his hands into a fist. _You are suppose to act the opposite of me and Bakugou, Midoriya! We're the ones that flies into a rage…__**not**__ you._

She nibbled her bottom lip.

"_Start!"_

He flickered his eyes to the stadium. "But don't you think he was dumb for throwing away his chance?"

"_What did you say!"_ Midoriya sprinted and Shinsou smirked as Naruto slammed her head against the stand. Kendou swirled her head at her, eyebrows knitted together as her hands patted her in the back like she knew why she would be upset. _Midoriya knew there was a chance Shinsou would make him talk but instead of holding in his temper, he decided to charge right in there with an answer._

"He hasn't done anything, Uzumaki." Kendou reassured her. "He only badmouthed your classmate."

Naruto shook her head. "Yes but Midoriya answered him. Shinsou's Quirk works by getting his opponent or target to answer him. The bastard must have been observing us the whole time and realize our negative traits…he must have known that Midoriya can't control his temper when someone insult his friend or classmate."

"Answer him?" Kendou knitted her eyebrows and then her eyes widened. "My classmate did mention that he wasn't fully aware what was happening when they worked together. He told everyone that it felt like he was being brainwashed."

Midoriya stopped running, body frozen in his spot as green pupils faded and his lips seemed to be parted slightly. _This is just like with Sakura again._ She nibbled her lips as her eyebrows knitted together, trying to formulate a plan for her friend to get his own fighting chance. Would words be enough? But what if that wasn't enough? She needed something else.

God damn it, she really should have insisted Todoroki came with her so he could make some ice for her to throw.

"He is just frozen," Kendou knitted her eyebrows together. "Is there any way for him to break out of it?"

"_This is why I say the entrance exam wasn't logical,"_ Aizawa-sensei's voice bounced off the walls of the stadium and the blond-haired girl could only picture the man sighing at the clear differences of Quirks. "_Since Shinsou also applied for general studies, he probably knew this would happen."_

Only silence could be heard as Aizawa-sensei shuffled through something with his white scarf occasionally hitting the mic. Kendou and Naruto glanced at each other, eyebrows raised together as if asking each other if they understood what the man was talking about. They flickered their eyes to the Press Box and Naruto could make out her teacher reading something.

"_His Quirk is very powerful, but the practical exam consisted of fighting fake villains,"_ Aizawa-sensei sighed. "_Shinsou wouldn't have been able to rack up any points with his Quirk."_

Frustration. It would be frustrating for Shinsou to see everyone with Quirks that allowed them to fight, which allowed them to be seen as heroes while he was stuck in the background. Naruto's fingers traced her necklace, ignoring the knitted eyebrows from Kendou. It was not fair but life was never fair.

"_Sorry Naruto but you failed. There is always next year."_

The next year happened and she would fail again. It did not matter to anyone she could pass the written portion of the exam, could do absolutely well in the taijutsu but because of that stupid clone jutsu…they failed her. _And then it turns out I had more chakra then I know what to do with._ Naruto grinded her teeth again.

'_For the ninjutsu portion: make a clone."_

_They always tested me on my worst jutsu._ Naruto took a deep breath as her blue eyes focused on the determined eyes of Shinsou, lips curled into a thin line. But she never gave up hope on passing the exam. There was always the thought that _it wasn't impossible _for her. So she trained and trained even though it seemed futile.

People taunted her and the teachers looked down at her, but Naruto never allowed something as small as a clone jutsu stopped her dream. If Shinsou wanted it so badly then why didn't he train himself? Why didn't he try to give himself a fighting chance?

It made her want to grind her teeth and pull her hair out.

Shinsou tilted his head, his eyes focused on Midoriya. "Turn around and walk out of bounds."

_Fight it!_

"He's turning around," Kendou sweated as everyone leaned forward to have a better look. Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line as Midoriya took another step forward. _ It's going to sound stupid but I want to become a Hero._ Naruto grinded her teeth together and inhaled as Midoriya walked closer and closer to the out of bounds.

_I can't see him lose his dream._

"No! Midoriya!" Kendou swirled her head at Naruto as the blond-haired girl slammed her palms against the rails and everyone stopped to look at her. Blue eyes flared with anger as the camera zoomed straight at her. Her voice echoed throughout the stadium but Naruto didn't care. "Take another fucking step forward and you will ruin all that hard work you put in those days of training."

"_Is Uzumaki trying to snap Midoriya out of Shinsou's Quirk?"_ Confusion leaked out of Present Mic's voice as rumbles erupted from the crowds. Shinsou looked at her like she was a fool but Naruto only focused on the boy that seemed to be taking another step closer to his doom.

"You spent hours and hours trying to get a hold of that Quirk of yours," she clenched her hands into a fist and stared at the purple-haired boy. "Losing now will only be a disgrace to all that work you put in to the weeks leading up here! You will be losing to a boy with a lame haircut and a shitty attitude to our classmates!"

Midoriya twitched and his body seemed to be slowing down as if his brain seemed to be trying to fight the effects. Kendou turned to her head, eyebrows knitted together as Naruto tightened her grip on the rails. Her blue eyes flared with worry.

Wind seemed to swept throughout the arena and Naruto narrowed her eyes at the sight of a strange light overcoming his fingers. He stopped just in front of the white line, eyes growing wide as he gulped in a couple of deep breaths. Silence hung in the audience as they processed what just happened.

The one thing that definitely stood out to Naruto was the bruised fingers. Bruised fingers that she never caused and fingers that she was certain had been just frozen a couple of seconds ago._ Did my words break him out of it?_ She shook her head. That sounded ridiculous even to her.

Something happened for Midoriya to break out of it, someone must have interfered and break him out of the spell.

_I'm glad that they did it because it would have been a waste for him to lose here._

"Thanks to my Quirk, I've been behind from the start!" Shinsou yelled, beating his thumb against his chest as Midoriya turned his head with eyes blazing with fury. "Someone who's been blessed like you can't understand, can you?"

'_I know it sounds stupid for a Quirkless person like me to want to become a Hero…but I can't help it._'

If anyone understood how Shinsou felt then it was Midoriya. She understood all too well because it always felt like the world was against her. Always the same stupid test and every time the same result. _When the whole world is against you, you just wanted to hate it._

It made you resentful of the people around you.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the development of Naruto compared to the original Nirvana?**


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N:** _I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter._

* * *

_Why doesn't To-niisan play with Natsu-niisan and me?_

Shouto clutched his All Might's figurine close to his chest with his lips curled into a pout. At the age of three Shouto still didn't have his Quirk and spent most of his time playing with Natsuo whenever his second oldest brother came back from school. Sometimes Touya played with them and his oldest brother was the best person to play with.

He always let Shouto win while Natsuo never let him win.

_Natsuo-niisan says that To-niisan trains with Father._ Shouto nibbled his bottom lip and dragged his tiny feet through the hallway, making sure never to make a sound. Mummy would get worried and sad if she sees that he was awake passed his bedtime. But To-niisan never came to breakfast, which made Natsu-niisan and Fuyu-neechan really upset.

"_You think he did something again?"_

Shouto stopped in front of the training room, mismatch eyes fixated on it. Everyone told him never to go in there because Father would get angry with him. Even though he was three, Shouto trembles whenever his father turn his eyes at him. _He never seems happy to see me._ Maybe if his Quirk came soon then his father would be happy with him.

_Until his Quirk came, Shouto longed for his father to be happy with him and play with him._

Taking a deep breath, Shouto pressed his small hands against the door and slid it open. Mismatch eyes widened at the sight of his thirteen-year-old brother crumbled on the floor. His red hair covered his turquoise eyes but tear marks strained the floors. But what made Shouto tremble and make tears spill out, it was the sight of swollen, rough, red skin that seemed to replace the normal pale skin of his brother.

Touya looked up and the normal warmness of his brother's eyes seemed gone, replaced with eyes that looked a lot like their Father. Shouto dropped his All-Might figurine, lips trembling as his eyes fixated on the marks in his brother's hands.

"_To-niisan?"_

His brother grinded his teeth and winced, putting his hands on either side of his stomach and pushed himself up from the floor. "What are you doing here, Shouto? You aren't supposed to be here."

Silence hung between them as turquoise eyes flared with anger. His brother clenched his hands into a fist, eyes shut tightly and sweat dribbled down his face. Shouto took a step back and for a brief moment, turquoise eyes softened slightly but it was soon replaced with his brother crashing down onto the floor. Shouto ran forward, only to be stopped by Touya holding his hand out.

"_Don't get closer, Shouto!"_

Shouto sniffed as tears dribbled down his cheeks. "_I will bring Mummy!"_

"_No!"_ Touya clenched his jaw and slapped the floor, causing Shouto to jump up. Fear and pain leaked out of those turquoise eyes but Shouto doesn't understand. Mummy always makes Shouto happy, giving him kisses whenever he feels pain. If Mummy kisses Touya in his boo-boo then maybe Big Brother would feel less pain, but turquoise eyes looked at him like he might bring a monster to him.

Shouto sniffed. "_B-But what do I do?"_

"_Nothing,"_ Touya gritted the words out and looked up at the ceiling. "_Shouto…I pray to God that you are born Quirkless," _his brother shook his head and corrected himself. "_No, I wish you have a Quirk like Mum. He would leave you alone if you can only use ice."_

Quirkless? But then Shouto won't be able to become a Hero like All Might and be able to save people. Shouto just stared at him, lips trembling as questions formed in the tip of his tongue. Why would Touya say that? He knew it was his dream so why did he say this to him? Shouto flickered his eyes to his fallen All Might figurine and then to his whimpering brother.

"_Why?"_

A smile played on his brother's lips but it was not the smiles that Touya gave him whenever Shouto ask him to tell him a story. Not the same smile he gave to Natsu-niisan whenever he tries to catch the taller boy into a headlock, trying to ruffle his hair. It was the smile of someone that looked ready to cry out in pain.

"_The bastard will make your life hell."_

Shouto does not understand his brother's words until his Quirk appeared a couple of months later. When that day happened, Touya was freed of the shackles that their father placed on him and it was Shouto that became a prisoner to their father's wishes.

Maybe that was one of the reasons Shouto never wanted to use his fire side.

* * *

Naruto stopped in front of the infirmary with her lips pressed into a fake smile as her eyes fixated on the temporary infirmary room that Cementoss created for the events. Midoriya might have won his match but he still managed to bruise his fingers to the point that it couldn't even move. _Thankfully that and the video replayed shows that I'm not the cause._

"_What passion! I love it! Uzumaki's words are cheers of love and passion!"_

If it had been up to Aizawa-sensei, Naruto believed the man would have disqualified both her and Midoriya for the actions. But Midnight-sensei was different, always seeing what she wanted to see. _Midoriya and I should be happy that she holds the power in the tournament and not Aizawa-sensei._ She released a sigh and wrapped her hands around the knob.

She took a deep breath and opened the door to the sides. Stepping in, Naruto could only blink at the sight of Midoriya standing up from his seat as a skeleton-looking man smiled nervously at her. _He looks familiar and he smells familiar too._ Naruto wrinkled her nose and stared at the man as Midoriya blinked at the sight of her. After a couple of seconds, his eyes grew as big as tennis ball.

"U-Uzumaki, what are you doing here?" Midoriya asked as the skeleton-man jumped from his seat. Naruto kept silence, blue eyes fixated at the skeleton-man that scrambled out of his seat and dashed out of the door. _That hairstyle reminds me of All Might._ She shook her head at the thought because All Might was a large, _muscular_ man and that guy looked like one good punch was all he needed to be knock out.

She took a seat right beside Midoriya and focused her attention on her friend, blue eyes lingering on the now-healed fingers of her friend. _Quirks are really amazing._ Even though these people did not have chakra, they seemed to have a Kekkai Genkai for everything. She took a deep breath as Midoriya swung his legs to the other side of the bed.

Finally, Naruto clasped her hands against her head. "I came to check up on you. From where I stood in the stands, your fingers looked like they went through a boxing ring."

Midoriya grimaced at the reminder and looked down at his healed fingers. He stretched his fingers as if to reassure himself it was still working properly. _I can never understand that desire._ She let out a sigh as her hands hovered above her stomach.

She shook her head, rubbed her chin and stared at her friend. _He did throw a good punch at the bastard._ Her lips twitched at the memory but she dropped the almost smile. She took several deep breaths as her mind tried to come up with something to say to him. Naruto looked at her own hands before nodding her head, releasing a sigh.

"You did good, Midoriya." She rubbed the back of her neck, almost wishing she could just dart out of there but Midoriya did make her curious about his fingers.

Midoriya jerked his head up and green eyes blinked at the compliment. "Really? You are not going to criticize me again?"

_What is the point of me giving criticism when knowing you, you are analyzing how you could have done better?_ She shook her head and her hands reached out, hovering above his head. Naruto let out a sigh and ruffled his hair, almost wrinkling her nose at the smoothness of his hair. _He has better hair than Sakura and Ino._ She shook her head as Midoriya looked at her with wide eyes.

Blue eyes focused on green eyes. "Well it is not my job to criticize you, it is Ero-Sennin's job."

Silence hung between them as Midoriya winced, no doubt imagining of the amount of training that Jiraiya might just put them through. Naruto leaned forward, lips twitching at the pure fear along with an emotion that she never thought to associate with Midoriya and that was determination. _He is really changing from that timid boy of a year ago._ She released a sigh.

"It is a good thing Jiraiya-san isn't here or else he will be scolding me for—"

"—taking the bait," Naruto finished and Midoriya flinched at the reminder. Her lips curled into a frown as Midoriya took a deep breath, shoulders tensing up. "You're lucky that you broke out of that trance or it would be that bastard moving up."

Midoriya grinded his teeth as Naruto hovered her forefinger over her thumb. "You were _this_ close to losing to him."

He shut his eyes, avoiding her blue eyes and Naruto just looked up at the ceiling. She inhaled and exhaled as her eyes darted to his right finger and thumb, smoothed and unbroken. Her hands rubbed her chin and Naruto looked back at her classmate, her head tilted to the side. She poked her tongue against her cheeks, her eyebrows knitted together.

"How did you break out of it? I doubt my words were what broke you out of a trance."

Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck, green eyes avoiding her searching eyes. _What happened?_ She leaned forward as her classmate leaned backwards with his cheeks flushing red. Blue eyes stayed fixated at him and her lips curled into a thin line when the green-haired boy squirmed in his seat. _Not telling me is better than lying to me._ She guessed he didn't trust her.

To be fair, Naruto would never tell him a lot of things about herself.

"Uzumaki, why did you try to break me out of Shinsou's Quirk?" Naruto blinked as Midoriya fixated his green eyes. _Sneaky bastard; he is trying to divert my attention._ She pressed her lips into a thin line, eyebrows raised as her classmate tilted his head to the side. "Why did you scream at me? There was a chance that you can't win if Midnight decided it was interference."

"_Thank you for believing in me when everyone else didn't believe in me."_

She clenched her hands into a tight fist.

"_I know it sounds stupid for a Quirkless person like me to want to become a hero…but I can't help it."_

Naruto closed her eyes and looked at the television screen. Despite the small break, the crowds looked like they were hanging onto their seats and were already talking about the next match if the way the heroes and various other people seemed to be shuffling closer together. Naruto took another deep breath and stared at the green eyes filled with so much curiosity.

It was like he wanted her to confirm something.

"Do you remember when Mt. Lady made her debut last year?" Midoriya blinked and vigorously nodded, green eyes lit up with excitement as it always did whenever someone talked about heroes. "Do you remember that notebook that you carried around? The one that Bakugou destroyed."

Midoriya grimaced and clenched his hands, looking almost frustrated at what his childhood friend did to his months of hard work. "Yeah."

"Do you remember what you told me?" He blinked and slowly shook his head, head tilted to the side and eyebrows scrunched together. Naruto didn't smile nor did she try again to ruffle his hair. That action was done once in a moment of weakness. Now she needed to focus on the task. "You told me that it sounded stupid for a Quirkless person like you to want to become a hero."

Green eyes widened and Naruto looked at the television screen. "I didn't really think much about it for the last year but then you came to me for training, and I watched you try so hard with Ero-Sennin to control that new Quirk of yours. Then, I remember that dream of yours…and I thought that it would be a shame for you to lose your chance of becoming an amazing hero if you lost in your first round."

Midoriya blinked and it was not long before those green eyes began to tear up at her words. Naruto squirmed, hands rubbing the back of her neck as the boy rubbed his eyes. Not that it helped much since his tears seemed to be soaking her gym outfit. She scowled at him and gently hand-chopped him in the head, causing the boy to look up at her with a wince.

_I still need to adjust my strength for someone that doesn't have chakra._

"Stop your crying Midoriya," he sniffed and rubbed his eyes. "You need to toughen up if you want to become that amazing hero that both Ero-Sennin and I think that you are capable of becoming. Honestly no one will look up to a hero that cries in public."

"S-Sorry!"

"And the stuttering too!"

Honestly one minute Midoriya can be cool and the next minute, he reminded her that he had a long way to go before anyone could consider him to be a cool hero.

* * *

"_The wait is over!"_

Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and shoved her hands against her jacket, body leaning forward as chatter erupted from all around her. They were now half-way through the first set of rounds and only now they reached the matches that everyone seemed to be excited for. From right beside her, Asui flickered her eyes from her to the empty arena.

"_The cream of the crop! Yet this guy somehow is still as plain as they can be! Sero Hanta from Class A!"_ Sero stepped out of the tunnel, cracking his fingers together as he gulped down a lump at the sight of his opponent. "_He's going against one of the strongest students in their year! Todoroki Shouto from Class A!"_

"Do any of you guys think Sero has a chance against Todoroki?" Kaminri asked, head tilted to the side and yellow eyes danced with excitement at the match-up.

Satou shook his head. "Have you seen Todoroki in All Might's lessons? He's insane. Sero will be lucky if he can even last one minute against that guy."

"Todoroki is one of the strongest kids in our year," Kirishima rubbed his chin and flickered his red eyes from the blond-haired girl to the scowling blond-haired boy sitting right beside him. "I think the only people that have a chance of giving us a show when it comes to him is Uzumaki and Bakugou."

Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line and made no comment as Bakugou smirked at the clear compliment shot in his direction. The blond-haired girl leaned forward, blue eyes focused on her friend as her classmates continued to debate about how long the match was going to be, and who could actually fight him. Asui pressed her lips into a thin line, her emotionless eyes locked on the blond-haired girl.

Pink lips curled into a frown as Naruto took in the stance of her friend. His shoulders seemed to be hunched up, those mismatch eyes seemed to be in another place and time and his hands seemed to be constantly clenching and unclenching. _What's going through his head?_ She pushed her bottom lip front and back as the tension in the atmosphere grew and grew till it seemed thick enough for Naruto to cut.

"Begin!"

"_I don't feel like winning!"_ Sero stretched his arms, lips curled into a smirk and brown eyes glinted with determination. "_But I also don't feel like losing!"_

He swung his arm back and forth, shooting his tape straight at Todoroki. White tape spring and whirled as Sero wrapped Todoroki like he was some kind of present. _I think Ero-Sennin might get some inspiration for his more kinkier scenes because of Sero._ He swung her friend like a Yo-yo, allowing Naruto to have a better look at Todoroki's eyes.

_He looked like he is lost and confused about something._

Todoroki was getting distracted and it made Naruto squirm in her seat, blue eyes focused on the trouble expression of her friend. Coldness began to seep and fill the stadium, nipping Naruto to the bone as everyone leaned forward to see what happened. Large glaciers formed as Naruto's teeth started to chatter. _He looks so far away._ She blinked when Asui placed her large hands on her shoulder and Naruto turned to look at her.

"Are you okay, Uzumaki-chan." Asui kept her voice low as an ice glacier encased Sero. Dark, muddy green eyes stared at Todoroki. "You don't seem happy that Todoroki-chan won. Are you still angry with him even after he made Mineta and Kaminari wear those cheerleader outfits."

Naruto forced herself to smile, blue eyes fixed on her friend who held out his left hand to melt down the ice as Midnight announced that he won. The distance between them might be a couple of meters but it felt like they were in two different countries.

Always seeing each other and talking to each other, but never in the same page.

* * *

"You didn't go easy at all with Sero…the way you fought him was just a bit too much."

Naruto pressed her lips together into a thin line, hands inside her pockets as Todoroki and her stood inside the tunnels. Mismatch eyes stared at her, lips pressed into a thin line as her friend took in a deep breath. He closed his eyes, eyebrows scrunched together as his hands clenched into a fist. Not in anger but maybe in guilt because his actions were just too harsh for their classmate.

"I know." Todoroki's tone seemed to hold no emotions but there was a slight hint of regret. Blue eyes softened and Naruto took a deep breath, withdrawing her hands against her pockets.

"You looked like you were in pain throughout the whole match."

Todoroki made no comment, only closing his eyes and hunching his shoulders. Naruto pressed her lips together and walked towards the wall. Taking a deep breath, she sat down on the floor and stared at her friend. Mismatch eyes opened and Todoroki tilted his head at her. She patted the empty spot right beside her and with his eyebrows knitted together, her friend sat right beside her.

"I need time."

Silence fell between them as Naruto placed her head over her knees, blue eyes fixated on the walls in front of them. _I need time to accept my left side._ That was what Todoroki seemed to be implying if you asked her. She tilted her head to the side where Todoroki sat with her blond-hair smacking the wall behind them.

"We have all the time in the world," Naruto inhaled. "Do you want to talk about what happened there? That was brutal thing for you to do. You don't usually make your ice glaciers that big."

Todoroki nodded. "Shouldn't you be focusing on your next match? You are going to go against Tokoyami."

_He doesn't want to talk about his problems._ She chewed her tongue till a little bit of blood leaked out because if Naruto say anything then they might be back to square one. So Naruto just focused her bright blue eyes on her friend, her fingers digging against her skin.

"You shouldn't try to change the topic, Todoroki." He curled his lips into a thin eyes, mismatch eyes flashing slightly with irritation as her eyes gazed right into his own. "When I told you that I will be there for you, I was a 100% serious about it."

No words came out of his mouth but his eyes darkened slightly like it always did whenever Todoroki thought of the man that helped create him. _He is kind of predictable in this way._ She took several deep breaths, closed her eyes as she try to think of how to bring it up gently but in a blunt way.

"Were you thinking about him during that match?" Todoroki swirled his head at her, mismatch eyes growing wide and Naruto lifted up her head. She nodded. "It seems like everything for you leads back to him."

He kept silent but the way his hands constantly curling and uncurling told her that she hit the jackpot. Blue eyes flickered from him to her necklace and then the words of Aizawa-sensei tickled in her mind, constantly reminding her of how her teacher seemed to be there for her. How he wanted her to open up to him or to anyone really.

She did trust people and the proof was in the boy right beside her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Naruto flashed him a smile. "I heard talking does wonders to the soul or whatever bullshit."

Todoroki's eyes seemed to falter as his lips quirked like he wanted to smile at her words. Naruto stared up at the ceiling as her mind came up with another plan to help her friend. _It could work, couldn't it?_ She nibbled her bottom lip and her clenched hands began to uncurl, relaxing against her knees.

"Do you want to make a deal with me?" Todoroki raised his eyebrow as her lips dried up. It was probably not her best idea but sometimes when you need to help a friend, you had to do something you don't feel comfortable with doing. _If I really consider him as my friend then I should let myself be a little bit vulnerable with him._ It was a risk but Todoroki wouldn't hurt her.

"Everytime we talk about what your Dad did to you or your family, I will tell you about what my experience was."

The words hung in the air and mismatch eyes widened as Todoroki jerked his head at her. She forced herself to smile even though the memories swirled around her head, almost threatening to consume her. _Inhale and exhale._ Her heart beat began to slow down and the sweat that build around her palm seemed to stop building up.

"You are really serious about this."

She nodded. "I wasn't lying when I said that I will be there for you. I know I haven't been the most friendliest person to you or any of my classmates but…"

The words died down in her sentence but her friend just nodded, his eyes now focused on the wall as the cheers from the stadium bounced off the walls, telling them that it was now Tokage going against Kaminari. Mismatch eyes flickered to her and Todoroki inhaled.

"I wasn't the first choice for Endeavour," Naruto blinked and Todoroki closed his eyes, lips pressed into a thin line. "The one he actually wanted to train was Touya. Touya was his first weapon, almost perfect in his eyes because he can make fire that was hotter than any fire that my shitty man can ever make."

She closed her blue eyes as Todoroki's quiet voice lured her in, almost like he was telling her a lullaby then a painful story. "But Touya had one big problem that my father just couldn't fix with training or with the doctors."

Naruto opened her eyes and leaned closer to him, her hand hovering just above his shoulder. Should she try to rub his shoulder and comfort him? Does she hug him? Naruto liked to give physical comfort to people but Todoroki sometime did tense up if someone touch him. Instead she took a couple of deep breaths and tried to think what else to do.

So she left her hand just like that.

"What was the problem, Todoroki?"

Todoroki inhaled. "It was very easy for his skin to get burn up. Even though he had a very strong Fire Quirk, his body was more suited for Ice Quirks. It is ironic because Fuyumi has an ice Quirk but her body is more suited for a fire Quirk."

"What did Endeavour do to him?"

"He trained him like he did with me," Naruto blinked and Todoroki took a deep breath. "He kept training Touya and never seemed to stop when it came to him. One day he pushed Touya too far and the end result was…Touya getting severely burnt around his body."

She closed her eyes, lips twisted in horror as her friend clenched and unclenched his hands. Naruto lowered her hands over his shoulder, but then she dropped her hands to her side. _Hugging him won't make him feel better. Listening to him and just being there might be enough for him._ She gulped down a lump.

"Touya told me that he wished I only inherited our mother's Quirk," Todoroki admitted. "He knew from the very beginning that the shitty old man was just waiting to see if my Quirk would be able to overcome the weakness that Touya's Quirk had."

Silence hung between them as Todoroki flickered his eyes at her. Mismatch eyes seemed to be waiting for her to say something or do something but what could she do? Naruto grinded her teeth together, feeling helpless that she really had no idea of how to comfort him. She blinked when Todoroki nodded as if her actions confirmed something.

"Touya ran away a few months after turning seventeen," Todoroki informed her. "No one really knows where he went and just like my mother, the topic of Touya is never brought up in the house."

_I am trusting you with this information._

Naruto nodded and offered him a smile.

"If I used my left side then how do I know he won't try to go back to the same grueling methods that he used on Touya?" Todoroki clenched and unclenched his hands as blue eyes fixated on him. "He will just push me to go over my limit and getting burnt is more difficult to treat then getting frost around my body."

"You can always come to me if he ever tries something," Todoroki blinked as Naruto flashed him a smile. "I will just knock him out and you can have your evil way with him. Just say the word and I will fight him."

Todoroki's lips quirked up and his mismatch eyes focused on her. Blue eyes stared back and no amusement shone through them. Because Naruto told him the truth, he just needed to give her the word and she would go straightened him out. She did it for Hinata-chan so it was only fair she did it for Todoroki.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto dropped her smile. "Anyways a deal is a deal."

"It doesn't have to be today." His voice was low and the slight hint of concern almost made Naruto smile. She inhaled again, tucking a strand of her blond-hair as the voices of the past echoed in her ear. Mismatch eyes stared at her, lingering on her trembling fingers but Naruto grinded her teeth and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I'm a girl of my word." Todoroki grimaced and he stared at the wall like he knew that Naruto did not want him to see her when she talked about her own past. "Until I was four, I used to live in an orphanage with a lot of kids and an elderly woman."

'_Monsters like you don't deserve to cry.'_

She sucked in a deep breath. "The matron was nice to all the kids, always comforting them whenever they had problems and always acting like a mother to them."

Naruto took in a couple of deep breath and her hands trembled like it always did whenever the memory cropped up in her head. She might be fifteen but the memory was still sharp in her mind from the way the matron smelt like cookies to the way her eyes stared at her like she didn't deserve to live.

"One day I got into an argument with my roommate," Naruto took in a deep breath. "She kept calling me a monster instead of using the nickname that I used to adore…which was _Naru-chan._"

"_My name is Naruto! I'm Naru-chan!"_

Todoroki stiffened and she pressed her lips into a thin line as tears threatened to leak out. Naruto furiously rubbed her eyes, cursing herself for choosing that memory but it seemed like the least harmful one out of the memories that she had.

"My roommates just kept taunting me about how my name was now Monster," Naruto took a deep breath. "And instead of continuing to cry about it and yell at them, I decided to yank them by the hair and fight them. They screamed at me to stop and the matron must have heard our screams, because she came in."

Her throat tightened up.

"The matron never called me by my name and she never looks at me," Naruto stretched her fingers and then clenched her hands. "But that night, she looked at me and do you know what her eyes were telling me? They were telling me that I was a monster."

She grinded her teeth. "I thought my roommates were my friends but instead of taking my side and saying that one of my roommates started it, they said I started the whole thing. Sure I hit them but they called me a Monster. I kept telling the Matron that my name was Naruto, Naru-chan…not monster."

Mismatch eyes flickered to her and Naruto forced herself to smile even though her heart kept clenching like there was no tomorrow. _Would this pain ever fade away?_ It had been years but her throat still burned at the memory. Tears still threatened to consume her and Naruto hated it.

"You know the Matron comforted all the kids but she _never_ comforted me," Bitterness leaked into her voice as Naruto grinded her teeth. "I wanted her to hug me and tell me that they were wrong. You know what she did instead?"

Todoroki kept quiet and the silence was just enough for her to get the courage to spit it out to him.

"She smacked me hard in the face," Naruto touched her right cheek and flinched while a pair of mismatch eyes grew blank. "Told me that monsters like me didn't deserve to get comfort. That I didn't deserve to cry and I wanted someone to rescue me at that time."

_But no one did._

She pinched her cheeks and forced herself to smile but Todoroki just stared at her. His mismatch eyes flashed with only two emotion, the two emotion that she wanted from the matron and that was…_kindness and sympathy._ She swallowed down the hiccups and just smiled at him.

"You aren't a monster."

Todoroki was a little bit too late to say those words, because she was a monster. She killed so many people to protect Eri and that was what monsters do. Those people might have had families and she destroyed those families to protect Eri.

The Matron was right about her in that sense.

* * *

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the friendship between Todoroki and Naruto?


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_I'm going to become the strongest shinobi in the world and I __**will**__ prove to them that a girl can become Hokage. _

Naruto clenched her hands against her shirt, blue eyes fixated at the portraits of the Hokages that had come before and after the Third Hokage. All four of the previous Hokage had been men with not a single female photo clinging to the wall. Her blue eyes lingered on the Fourth Hokage, tracing the appearance of the man who gave his life to kill the Kyuubi.

The Third Hokage stared at her, dark eyes darting from her to the windows and then to the photo of his successor and predecessor. _The Fourth Hokage has the same hair colour as me._ As soon as the thought came, it faded in Naruto's mind as the old man took out his smoking pipe from his drawer.

"_How was your first day back in the Academy, Naru-chan? How is your new teacher?"_ The Third leaned back and looked down at her, lips curled into a smile and Naruto forced herself to smile. Hiraoka-sensei was fired for some strange reason and the school replaced him with Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei.

'_Tell me your dreams.'_ She didn't actually have a dream but people had been staring at her and Naruto couldn't stop herself from shouting out the first two thoughts to the whole world. _I thought it would impress them._ She curled her lips into a scowl and the Third Hokage looked out at the window, his hands making some strange hand signs.

Naruto thinks it was like the Third Hokage had a secret language to himself because the hand signs looks nothing like what they were taught in school. _I wanna make my own language._ It would be a good way to communicate with Hinata-chan and Sasuke without the teachers knowing what they were talking about.

"_Did something happen today in school, Naru-chan?_" Naruto jerked her head up as the Third Hokage leaned forward, brown eyes boring right into her own blue eyes. She chewed on her bottom lip and thinks that the Hokage wouldn't want to hear about her issues. She didn't want to tell him but he was the Hokage and he would be able to tell her if she was wrong.

"_My classmates are mean and stupid."_

The Third raised his eyebrow, lowered his pipe and pressed his lips into a thin line. "_Naru-chan, why do you say that?"_

"_Because they say I can't ever become Hokage because I'm a girl!"_ Brown eyes widened and Naruto puffed her cheeks before fixating her eyes onto the photos of the various Hokage. Her eyes lingered the most on the First Hokage and then it flickered to the Fourth Hokage. _ "Those assholes says a girl can't ever become Hokage because they are weak."_

She grinded her teeth together, lips curled into a scowl and Naruto folded her arms against her chest. She hopes and prays the Hokage would tell her that a girl can become Hokage…that she can become strong. What was the point of being stronger than the average seven-year-old if no one believed in her? For a brief moment, the slight coldness in the Hokage's eyes faded, replaced with _warm _eyes.

Sometimes Naruto thinks that the Third was torn between hating and loving her.

(_She understands when she turns twelve that even the Hokage was human and that he also allows his own grief to cloud his own judgment)._

"_Naru-chan, do you think my daughter-in-law is weak? Or even Mikoto?"_ The Third tapped his pipe against the table, brown eyes focused on her. Naruto tilted her head, eyebrows scrunched together before she shook her head. The Third smiled at her, looking at her like he was proud of her. Her heart swelled up and like always, she begin to explain her reasons.

She longed for him to continue giving her those looks.

"_Mikoto-obaachan is a jounin, right? And Jounins are just below you in ranking,"_ Sarutobi smiled and brown eyes twinkled with mirth as Naruto bobbed her head. "_Kotone-obaachan works in ANBU, doesn't she? Sasuke tells me that only the strongest shinobi works there."_

Sarutobi frowned and Naruto wondered if she said something she was not supposed to say. Wasn't she supposed to know Kotone-obaachan work in ANBU? Sasuke knew Itachi worked there. He always boasted about it whenever they played together. _But then again Mikoto-obaachan scolded Sasuke for telling me this?_ She nibbled her bottom lip.

"_How do you know Kotone work in ANBU?"_

Naruto blinked. "_I saw her mask lying around when I was trying to help her catch Konohamaru so he can take a bath. Also, Sasuke told me that Itachi has an animal mask too…_"

"_You shouldn't always jump to conclusions, Naruto."_ Naruto rubbed the back of her neck as the Third Hokage twirled around his pipe. Brown eyes flickered to the outside, lips pressed into a thin line and one eyebrow raised like he was communicating with someone. Tilting her head, she looked out at the window but saw only the green trees.

"_Okay,"_ Naruto knitted her eyebrows and tilted her head. "_But that doesn't answer my question, can a girl become Hokage?"_

"_I don't see why not,"_ The Third Hokage answered. "_As long as you have the Will Of Fire and the desire to protect the village then you can become Hokage. Those two things are just as important as being strong."_

Naruto smiled but her smile faded into a thoughtful look as blue eyes locked on him. _"So if you think girls are strong and can become Hokage then why do almost all my classmates think differently?"_

The Third Hokage blinked and then tilted his head as his hand lowered his hat. Naruto could never read his emotions when he did something like this. Was he surprised by her question? Did he like her question? Does he think it was stupid? Even when Naruto turned fifteen, she still doesn't know why he did that.

"_Most of your classmates come from civilian families that are merchants,"_ The Third lifted his head up and inhaled. _"Civilian families don't see things the way a shinobi does. They look down in the strength of a female and take pride in the strength of a male. A true shinobi, no a real man, will know better and will respect a female, kunoichi or not."_

Well that answered one question but Naruto has so many questions buzzing through her head.

"_Then how do you know if a shinobi respects you as a kunoichi?"_

In that moment, the door slid open and an elderly lady charged in. She looked like she could be the same age as the old man in front of her, but instead of having the laugh lines of the Third Hokage and a smile like him, the woman had an ugly scowl on her face. Sarutobi blinked and look at the clock, slumping his shoulders and a tight smile playing on his lips.

"_Sarutobi Hiruzen, did you forget we have a meeting?"_ Her voice was sharp and her eyes looked at the Third Hokage like he was a troublemaker that needed to be punish. She blinked at the sight of her and the old lady smoothed her expression.

Sarutobi shook his head. _Liar._ Naruto tilted her head and looked at the elderly woman with her lips curled into a tight smile. The old woman gazed at her with eyes that held neither hate nor sympathy. Only indifference and curiosity leaked through her eyes.

The Third Hokage flickered from the old woman and then to her. "_Naru-chan, I would like you to meet my former teammate and my advisor Koharu. She will be a better person to answer your question, because I can give you only the perspective of a man."_

"_And do tell me what is this question that you need a woman's perspective,"_ Annoyance leaked out of the woman's voice and Naruto could guess she was not happy about the fact that the Third was late for his meeting. _But the Third should have tell me that we have to do it in another day._ She nibbled her bottom lip.

"_Young Naruto wants to know how she can know if a shinobi respects her as a kunoichi?"_ The Third curled his lips into a smile. "_Her classmates taunted her for her ambitions of taking this old Hat away from me."_

Koharu looked at her and Naruto blinked when the elderly woman walked towards her, those dark eyes lingering on her blue eyes and the whisker marks on her cheeks. No smile decorated her face but her eyes did not look at her like she was a joke. Naruto thinks that the woman might respect her because Iruka and Mizuki didn't give her the same eyes.

"_Maybe there is some hope for the next generation of kunoichi,"_ Koharu mused as her eyes fixated on her and her blue eyes. "_Don't let a bunch of males tell you what you can and cannot do."_

Naruto felt her lips twitched and Koharu tilted her head, eyes lingering on her and then it flickered to the Third. Naruto doesn't understand why the Third Hokage looked like he wanted her to bolt out of here or why he seemed uncomfortable with that look. Naruto feels happy because finally there was a female who tells her to not bow down to a male.

"_Lady, how do I know if a man respect me as a kunoichi?"_

This was the only time that Koharu would give her those warm eyes and when Naruto looks back at this day, she wonders if Koharu say those words because she was a fellow kunoichi or because she was a weapon_._

"_When he takes you seriously in a fight and doesn't even try to hold back,"_ Koharu answered with her eyes fixated on the Third Hokage. "_You know he respects you when he has absolute confidence in your strength and doesn't try to coddle you."_

Years later, Naruto fully comprehends her words but it was not Sasuke that showed her this. It was not even directed at her when it happens…if anything she was just a bystander to the match.

* * *

"_The final match of the first round! He was kind of famous in Middle School! This isn't the face of a regular person! From Class 1A: Bakugou Katsuki! He's going against the girl that I'm rooting for, from class 1A: Uraraka Ochako!"_

Cheers erupted from the stadium as Present Mic's voice echoed throughout the stadium. Naruto leaned forward, her fingers twirling around the popsicle stick that she brought while Hatsume did her advertisement game with Iida. The coolness and the tangy taste of the orange made Naruto sigh as her classmates glanced at each other. From right beside her, Midorya tapped his feet and on the other side, Todoroki pressed his lips into a thin line.

Both Bakugou and Ochako walked out of the opposite ends of the tunnel. Both teens had their eyes flashing with determination and Naruto flickered her eyes to the camera, before glancing at Jiraiya. Her mentor leaned against the wall, lips pressed into a thin line and eyes focused on Bakugou.

"If you're gonna withdraw, do it now," Bakugou declared. "You won't get off with an ouch."

Ochako stumbled back but she regained her bearings. The girl grinded her teeth together, clenched her hands into a fist and knitted her eyebrows together at the boy. Naruto's fingers danced around her popsicle stick, lips pressed into a thin line. _He has no plans to take it easy on her._ Her lips twitched slightly and Todoroki glanced at her.

"You are excited." Todoroki leaned his body forward, mismatch eye flickering to her as their classmates shifted in their seat. His tone seemed almost surprised but the girl did not smile.

She nodded. "It is definitely going to be better than that 12-minutes advertisement that we were forced to watch."

Iida flinched and hung his shoulders at the reminder while Midoriya patted his back as he raised his eyebrow at her for reminding their class president about how he was tricked into being a walking advertisement. Don't get her wrong, it had been entertaining to watch but that was no match. She sighed and rubbed her chin. If anything it felt like one of those annoying advertisement videos that she could never skip.

"I really thought she was being sincere," Iida grinded his teeth and shook his head. "How was I suppose to know she would _use me_?"

Naruto twisted her head. "You coulda ask me what type of person she was in order to think of a strategy of how to beat her."

Iida looked horrified by her suggestion while Midoriya sighed, shaking his fluffy green hair and Todoroki just raised his eyebrow at her. _What? It wasn't like I wouldn't tell him that Hatsume was a girl that is willing to do anything to get her inventions to be noticed._ She leaned back with her hands clasped behind her head and blue eyes locked on her two classmates.

"Oh Midoriya-kun, what was the strategy that you planned for Ochako?"

Naruto twisted her head and focused her attention on Midoriya, who flinched at her unwavering eyes._ He should have been focusing on his match against Todoroki, not thinking of helping Ochako._ The words were on the tip of her tongue, but something stopped her from telling him this. Maybe it was the fact the two teens were close and that Midoriya never had proper friends till he came here.

"Do you have a plan for your next match?"

Midoriya blinked and flickered his eyes to Todoroki, green eyes hardening slightly while her friend avoided those green eyes. He pressed his lips into a thin line and stiffly nodded his head, causing the blond-haired girl to nod in satisfaction. She flickered her eyes from Uraraka to him.

"What was the plan?"

"Kacchan is strong," Midoriya took out his burnt notebook from his bag and handed it to her, but Naruto shook her head. _If I want to defeat Bakugou then I'm going to do it by my terms._ He sighed and he handed the burnt notebook to Iida. The teen flipped through the pages, eyebrows reaching his hairline as he took in the various notes that Midoriya has.

"He isn't just strong," everyone swirled their heads at her and Naruto fixed her eyes on the quiet, raging boy down in the arena. "He is also determined to win the whole thing."

Midoriya nodded and took his notebook from Iida's hands. Green eyes seemed locked on her as if silently asking her if she knew the lengths that Bakugou would go to win. She bobbed her head, taking a couple of deep breaths and stared down at the two students.

"He can use the blasts from his explosions to move around in the air," Midoriya's hands trembled and a hint of admiration leaked into his voice. "But if Uraraka touches Kacchan and uses her Quirk to make him float then she would have the upper hand."

Naruto sighed. "That's all good and all but there is only one problem with your plan…Bakugou isn't that predictable. He is smart and he is going to make sure that it will be impossible for her to touch him."

_Sometimes I don't even know if you could define Bakugou as a genius or just an asshole that works extremely hard to get to his goals._ She nibbled her bottom lip and remembered that even though he was smart enough not to have to study the subjects for hours end like her, her classmate would spend hours studying._ Nothing about Bakugou says he doesn't work his ass off._

The way he used his Quirk showcased it.

"_Start."_

"Withdrawing isn't an option!" Uraraka declared for the whole world to hear. Brown eyes hardened as the girl charged straight ahead, arms flying ahead of her and Bakugou narrowed his eyes at her. Cheers erupted from behind Naruto and she wondered if it could be heard from outer space. The blue eyed girl locked eyes on her fellow blond classmate. He swung his right hand and Ochako narrowed her eyes, crouching down.

Bakugou swung his left hand, explosions crackling off the palm of his hand and orange flames flew straight at the brown-haired girl. _He really does learn quick._ She flickered her eyes to the opposite side of observation booth, where her mentor stood. Dark eyes looked at Bakugou with a troubled expression as if he was seeing someone else battling Uraraka.

Her mentor pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Don't underestimate me!" Ochako's voice boomed throughout the stadium as the black smoke disappeared to reveal that her classmate substitute herself with her jacket. _She did something I would do._ Naruto nodded as blue eyes drank in the furious eyes of her classmate, who seemed ready to give it her all when it came to this match.

_Even though there is a clear difference in their battle skills, Uraraka doesn't have any plans to give up._

Whimpers and cries echoed throughout their class both as Bakugou continued to fire explosions after explosions at the girl. Naruto just leaned forward, lips curled into a smile and her hands gripped the rails that separated them from the arena.

Ochako continued to charge after him with her hands swinging at him. Naruto narrowed her eyes and tilted her head when her classmate pressed her fingers against the broken slabs of concrete flying out in her direction. Poking her tongue against her cheek, Naruto lifted her head up and blue eyes widened at the sight of the growing broken concrete slabs floating from above the sky.

From right behind her, Jirou whimpered. "I can't watch this."

_If you don't watch her then you are disrespecting the performance that Uraraka is giving for us._ Pale skin and bloodied lips flashed before Naruto's eyes and the girl tightened her grip against the rail. She inhaled and exhaled, ignoring the knitted eyebrows thrown her way from Todoroki. _Watch her fight._

Ochako gasped as dark smoke clouded over Bakugou, almost like it was making an invisible, floating black wall between them. With his red eyes flashing through those dark clouds, his hair looking wild and his teeth looking sharp…well her classmate looked like the devil that was ready to finish her off. _He doesn't realize what Uraraka plan to do._

"Stop the match!" Someone from the audience screamed as Uraraka panted. Whispers broke out and boos began to be chanted throughout the stadium. It was not just from the heroes but also by some of her classmates, who looked furious in the way that Bakugou was fighting the girl.

"Man, he is being harsh with her." Kaminari declared. "If it was me, I would have gone easy…which was what I did with that Tokage."

Asui raised her eyebrow. "She destroyed you in thirty seconds flat because you were more distracted by her looks then winning the whole thing."

Several of their classmates nodded in agreement.

"Isn't he going too far?" Another person in the audience yelled, jumping out from his seat with eyes looking down at Bakugou like he was the scum for not going easy on her classmate.

"Hey! How can you say you want to be a hero!"

More and more yells were being thrown at Bakugou and finally a red-haired man jumped up from his seat. His green eyes seemed to be filled with irritation as his friend, right beside him, shook his head and looked almost faintly amused at what was about to happen.

"This is a battle between two kids that are inspiring to be heroes!" His words hung around the stadium like an echo and acted as a reminder to everyone in the stadium. He darted his eyes to the various heroes, hands clenched into a fist and green eyes fixated on the two battling teens.

No one said anything and only stared at him. Several eyes grew large and whispers soon broke out as they gazed at the red-haired hero. _What is the big deal about him?_ Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and glanced at her various classmates. Almost all of them blinked at the sight of him while a few looked wide-eyed at the sight of him, as if they were not expecting to see this man to be here.

"I can't believe it!" Midoriya took several deep breaths as his hands clutched his notebook like it was his lifeline. Green eyes sparkled with excitement as their fellow classmates gawked at the sight of the hero."Uzushiokage is actually here."

"Has anyone ever fought a villain and care about gender? When it comes to a good old-fashion battle, gender doesn't matter."

Another hero from the second stand stood up, eyes looking at the hero with irritation. "It is clear to everyone that there is a difference between their abilities! Heroes are also supposed to be compassionate! He is bullying her!"

Uzushiokage narrowed his eyes. "We are seeing two different things then, because I see a boy that is respecting his opponent and her desire to win."

"Respect?" The hero snorted and Naruto grinded her teeth while Midoriya shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Her classmates hung their heads, hands clenched into a fist and a pair of elderly eyes flashed right in front of her eyes, along with the soft-spoken words of the Hokage.

'_When he takes you seriously in a fight and doesn't even try to hold back'_

That was how a kunoichi defined as respect because they were trained to fight. It was how any fighter would define as respect but these people refused to see it in that way. Naruto grinded her teeth as her classmates and the other audience members stared at him with eyebrows knitted together.

"Yes, he respects her." Uzushiokage declared. "If he didn't respect her then he would throw her out of here. But he didn't do it and do you know why? Because he acknowledge the fact that the girl still has a desire to win. Do you see that girl crying for mercy? Or do you see a girl that is determined to show her capabilities and worth to the world?"

Silence hung around the audience as whispers broke out at the words spoken by the young hero. Blue eyes stared at the hero, taking in the way he seemed to be so relaxed and how his eyes seemed to be dripping with poison at the comments thrown by his fellow heroes. Taking a deep breath, Naruto turned her head away and scanned the crowds.

Naruto was not focus on Bakugou and Uraraka's fight nor were her eyes focused on the red-haired hero. No, her eyes focused on Ero-Sennin and how he seemed to be staring at the hero like he was seeing another ghost.

_First it was Bakugou and now it is that Uzushiokage. What the hell is happening? What isn't he telling me?_

That was the only thought running through Naruto's head.

* * *

"If you are going to tell me like those Heroes that I should have taken it easy on her then shut the hell up."

Naruto slipped her hands into her pockets, blue eyes fixated at her scowling classmate as Present Mic announced the line-up for the second round of matches. The two of them stood in front of the waiting room's door and for the first time in years, the blonde thinks she could understand her scowling classmate.

"That would have been an insult for both you and Uraraka," Naruto said quietly.

Her classmate scowled and stared at her. His red eyes seemed to be fixated on her bright blond-hair before falling down to her eyes and then it landed on the whisker marks decorating her cheeks. For a brief moment, her hand reached up to touch her whisker marks but she held herself back.

"I always give it my all when I fight my opponent." He focused his eyes at her and finally asked. "Why are you here if you aren't here to scold me."

Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line, her hand rubbing the back of her neck as she wondered if her words would give him a bigger head. Would he act so arrogant when she say those words? Or would he just dismiss her words and decide to repeat his declaration? Naruto didn't know but her classmate deserved to hear these words from her.

"I guess I wanted to thank you," he blinked his eyes and raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean thank you for not underestimating her."

Bakugou scowled. "You think I'm like those side characters in our class? Or those heroes? Why the hell would I go easy on her because she was born a girl."

"Because boys are usually shitty little shits who think a girl can't fight better than a boy."

The blond-haired boy looked at her for a good couple of seconds, lips pressed into a scowl as his eyes focused on the wall behind her. He curled his lips into a scowl, leaned back against the wall and then looked up at the wall like he was remembering something. The blond-haired boy darted his eyes to her.

"Then they probably don't have a mother and a grandma that would beat the shit out of them for not respecting a woman and her desire," Naruto blinked as Bakugou flickered his eyes at her. "The Old Hag always made it a point that I know that a woman can be just as strong as a man, and will scream at me for even thinking of going easy on a girl."

Naruto quirked her lips and stared at the scowling boy. Silence hung between them as blue eyes took in the way that her classmate seemed to hunch his shoulder. She rubbed the back of her neck and waited for Bakugou to say something but he said nothing. Instead he just turned his body around and in that moment, the image of his mother flooded into her mind.

"Your mother looks scary as hell," Bakugou twitched and Naruto stared at him. "I saw the two of you in the supermarket one time…and you have her looks and personality."

Bakugou clicked his tongue. "Better I have her personality then my old man. He was too much of a whimp to tell her no."

Naruto felt her lips twitched and she tilted her head at him but he doesn't look at her. He doesn't even smile at the small snippet of information that he told her, only having a scowl and she wondered if there was a reason he did not like his father's behaviour. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she took a deep breath.

"Maybe your father just really love your mother."

Bakugou snorted. "He tried to break up with her but he chickened out because of her personality. How the hell he ended up marrying the Old Hag was a mystery."

_He is just like Shikamaru when he complains about his parents' relationship and the bastard has a crush on Temari, who acts similar to his mother._ She bit her tongue from making a comment because they were having one of those days when they could be friends. This was probably a boy thing since this was the second boy, she knew that complained about their parents' relationships.

"He could have always find a way to break up with her, if you want my opinion…I think he saw a side of her that maybe you can't see," she nodded. "Maybe when you find someone that you like then you would understand."

Bakugou scowled and folded his arms against his chest as red eyes looked at her. The constant chatter of the audience and the laughter of their classmates seemed to bounce off the walls, but Naruto see the easy dismissal from her classmate's eyes. She took a deep breath and blinked when red eyes now looked at the walls.

"I have no time for that bullshit," Bakugou snorted. "My goal is to be the number one hero and I won't be distracted by those things."

Naruto nodded and pressed her lips into a thin line, blue eyes seemed fixated at the scowl playing on his lips. _Déjà vu is right._ She ran her fingers against her ponytail, detangling her hair as her classmates clicked his heels and took a couple of steps forward. She doesn't know why she does what she does, but maybe his fight with Uraraka resonated with her.

Or maybe it was the words of the past that made her do this.

"Bakugou," her classmate stopped walking and blue eyes stared at his board shoulders. "I dislike you but it is my respect for what you did and your desire that makes me tell you this."

The words hung over them and Bakugou twisted his body around, eyebrows raised at her as if daring for her to make a comment. He looked at her like he knew what she was about to say because his eyes seemed to glow red with irritation. She took a deep breath, calming down her trembling arms and blue eyes focused on him.

"You won't ever reach the top spot with a shitty attitude," she allowed the harshness to leak into her voice and the blond-haired girl gazed at him. "You do know who you act like at times, don't you? Your behavior is a lot more like Endeavour then you want to admit."

Bakugou pressed his lips into a thin line and red eyes flared with another emotion that Naruto could not read. It might have been disappointment that she would say this but it was more likely he was annoyed that she would remind him this.

"I won't become like that asshole," he declared. "I won't ever do something that shitty."

A sigh escaped from her lips. "And what if you don't accomplish that goal? What would you do? Would you do what he did to his family?"

He clicked his tongue and shoved his hands against his pockets. Red eyes seemed focused on her as if he knew another reason that she might be concern. He shook his head and a snort escaped from his nose like he found something funny about her words.

"If you want to give me a wake-up call then don't even bother, Uzumaki." She blinked and he looked her straight in the eyes with a scowl playing on his lips. "I might not have the same personality as Deku or even that Half and Half Bastard but I know myself and how I was raised…I will never allow myself to become like that."

It was one thing for him to say this but actions always spoke larger than words.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.**


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"Ero-Sennin, you have been acting weird."

Chatter and giggles filled the stadium as Naruto placed her hands on either side of her hips, head tilted to the side as her mentor tore his eyes away from one of the female heroes. He blinked at the sight of her and put down his own notebook before raising his own eyebrow at her.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be preparing for your own match?" Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line and looked down at the arena, where her teachers and various helpers helped to tidy up the mess that her two classmates had made. It probably would be another five minutes before the second round of matches could begin.

Naruto finally shrugged and flashed him a smile. "You have been acting weird since the matches begin but you looked really weird during Uraraka and Bakugou's fight."

Jiraiya closed his eyes and blue eyes fixated at him, waiting for him to either explain or to lie to her. Only the chatters of the audience members could be heard as her mentor open his eyes, brown eyes fixated on her bright blond hair and then it looked down at her blue eyes. He took a deep breath and quirked his lips into his smile.

"When I watch that Bakugou fight that Uraraka, I remember Minato." Naruto blinked and raised her eyebrow at her mentor. He leaned forward and looked up at the blue skies. His black eyes seemed faded for a moment and the man turned to her. "Oh, he doesn't have the Fourth personality but that guy's ruthlessness remind me of the Fourth."

"Was he ruthless?"

"Sometimes Minato could be gentle but he could be ruthless when he has a goal in his mind," Jiraiya sighed. "I didn't realize this until his own exams when he fought his opponents. No one actually thought he would be ruthless especially when he fought against _that_ opponent."

Naruto blinked. "Which opponent?"

"My friend's student." Jiraiya sighed and a smile played on his lips. For a brief moment, there seemed to be water leaking out of his eyes and Naruto blinked her eyes when she saw that there were no tears in his eyes._ Must have been my imagination._ He smiled. "I thought he would go easy on her when I consider his feelings."

"What do you mean?"

Jiraiya looked down at her and blue eyes blinked when those black eyes looked less like black stones and more like ebony. His hand reached out to her, hovering above her head and he dropped his hand on top of her head. She looked up and faltered at the sight of his eyes. Was he really seeing her? Or was he trying to replace her with an image of someone else?

She knew he cared but she doesn't fully knows if he saw her as her, or the child that his student chose to make a jinchuuriki.

"Did you know that Minato was a romantic at heart?" She blinked and shook her head as Jiraiya snorted and let out a laugh. "He was in love with my friend's student since the moment he saw her in school. He must have been nine but he fell in love with her."

"How could he know he was in love with her if he was nine?" Naruto wrinkled her nose and Jiraiya shrugged, looking just as mystified as her. She chewed on her bottom lip and leaned against the wall, blue eyes fixated at Endeavour. The man doesn't make any facial expression if anything his eyes seemed faded out and his lips pressed into a thin line.

"You know it is because he was so obvious in his love with her that we all thought he would just be distracted and let her win," Jiraiya shook his head. "But he did the complete opposite, surprising his teammates and everyone in the village."

His lips twitched downwards and he took one heavy breath in, as if just taking a breath was difficult for him. _Maybe it was because the bond between a genin team and their teacher is usually strong._ Naruto nibbled her bottom lip and her mentor let out his breath.

"I knew Minato was good and he was a genius," Jiraiya sighed. "But when it came to him and his love for Kushina, I really doubt he would be capable of hurting her that badly. He would write pointless poetry, waxing about the beauty of her hair."

Naruto snorted and Jiraiya looked up at the blue sky, looking at it with a sheepish smile. The clouds strolled through the clear blue skies, almost giving it a gloomy expression and her mentor shook his head. He flickered his eyes at her and letting out a laugh.

The blonde shook her head. "Why didn't he go easy on her if he loves her?"

"I asked him the same question and you know what that smartass told me?" Naruto blinked and jerked her head at the title that her mentor gave for his student. She shook her head and the white-haired man let out a laugh.

"His mother would have killed him for taking it easy on her," Naruto blinked and Bakugou's words echoed in her own ears. Her mentor frowned and shook his head. "I found it hard to believe because his mother was a really gentle woman that hated fighting, which is weird when I think how she married a shinobi. She would have been horrified at what he did."

Jiraiya pressed his lips into a thin line and knitted his eyebrows together as if a thought came to him. He tilted his head and then furiously shook his head as if whatever thought in his head sounded completely crazy to him.

Naruto poked her tongue against her cheeks. "Did your friend's student felt happy that he didn't go easy on her?"

Jiraiya snorted. "She was more pissed off that he beat her and vowed to beat his wimpy ass to the ground."

Her lips twitched at the comment and a laugh bubbles in her stomach but Naruto stopped the laugh from coming out. Instead she just scanned the various crowd members and her blue eyes landed on Uzushiokage and his bird friend. He seemed to be smiling and chatting, only to stop talking and lifted his eyes up to look at her.

Green eyes met her and Naruto stared back at him. He flickered his eyes away from her and shifted to Jiraiya, eyes widening and excitement lit his eyes. _Another fan of his books._ The excitement faded and then a frown decorated his face.

He darted his eyes to the two of them.

Naruto shook her head and focused her eyes on her mentor. "And why did you act weird with Uzushiokage? You looked like you saw a ghost."

Jiraiya jerked his head at her. "Uzushiokage? Where did you hear that title?"

Naruto blinked and opened her mouth, only to close it when her eyes caught sight of the time on the digital screen. She sweated, bowed down and apologized before dashing straight to the tunnels. Oh god, she was going to be late for her own match.

She would ask him again later.

* * *

"_Now, it's the moment that you've all been waiting for— the first match-up of the second round!"_ Present Mic's voice flooded the stadium and wind seemed to be licking against Naruto's cheeks. Blue eyes looked up at the clear, bright sky.

_My time to shine._ Naruto shoved her hands into her pockets as she walked to the top of the arena. Crowds of people stared down at her, eyes lighting up with excitement and whispers broke out but they seemed slightly blurry to her. She took a deep breath and focused on the raven-head rising up the steps in front of her.

_Your chance to show the world what you can do._

"_He was relentless in his attacks against his opponent and is a person with a powerful quirk," _Present Mic declared as the crowds roared with life. "_It is Tokoyami Fumikage._"

_Time to show everyone not to underestimate me._

The crowd continued to roar, cheering and clapping as Tokoyami came to a stop across the arena in front of her. His eyes focused on her, never showing much emotion not even worry for what she could potentially do to him. _No one will stand in my way of winning this whole thing._

Naruto kept her expression blank. "I look forward to fighting you, Tokoyami."

Her classmate bobbed his head and flickered his eyes to the various crowds surrounding them. "This will be a worthy battle for us. I will finally see how Dark Shadow and I will fare against you."

A smile did not decorate her face but the girl nodded, eyes focused on her classmate. This was not just her chance to show everyone what she could do but a chance for her to see how she would fare against other people's Kekkai Genkei. Had she gotten stronger? Or was she still the same person from three years ago in terms of her strength?

She flickered her eyes to the stands and blinked when she saw the various smiles of her classmate.

"_And over here, the one that I'm currently rooting for to win the whole thing—the girl that has shown us so far that she is not someone that you could easily take the number one spot, it is Uzumaki Naruto!"_

Roars erupted at his announcement.

Tokoyami gazed at her. "I will break your winning streak."

Naruto blinked and stared at the camera, wondering if Hinata was watching over her and seeing that she improved from last time. Her eyes shifted back to her classmate and nodded, accepting his decree of attempting to overtake her spot.

"_Begin!"_

Without a moment of hesitance, Dark Shadow slithered out of Tokoyami's stomach and charged straight at her. Naruto narrowed her eyes, hands curled into a tightly wounded fist as the creature hovered above her, ready to smash her. He dropped down but the blond-haired girl grabbed hold of the creature, hands squeezing it.

Dark Shadow gasped and withdrew itself.

"_Shadow Clone Jutsu!"_ Several clones appeared and Dark Shadow bolted straight at her, crashing and smashing her various clones. A smile played on her lips as the blond-haired girl jumped up, air swooping passed her hair as Dark Shadow smashed her final clone.

She pressed her fingers together and made fifty other clones. They nodded their heads together, grabbing hold of her as a couple of the clones landed on the ground. Dark Shadow flickered around as Tokoyami attempted to attack one of her clones.

_Deception is key._

Dark Shadow charged straight at her, smashing and crushing her various clones until it came back to her. The dark creature snarled, lips curled into an evil scowl and tried to enclasped her with his own claws but Naruto grabbed a hold of it. _A punch to the gut will mean another person in the recovery room with Recovery Girl. _

She yanked it and began to swing it around before sending him flying out of the ring. The remaining of her clones smiled, rubbed the back of their shoulders as Dark Shadow retreated back into Tokoyami, effectively stopping her in her tracks.

"_Now it's our turn!"_ Her clones roared and charged straight at Tokoyami. One clone punched Tokoyami up into the sky, hands clutched around his stomach as another clone jumped up and wrapped their arm around Tokoyami's neck, smashing him down to the ground.

_It is not over yet._

Even though her classmate crashed down to the ground, he stood up. His legs wobbled slightly and there was a bit of blood leaking out of his beaks but his eyes seemed to flash with a bit of an excitement. She curled her lips into an excited smile.

He charged straight at her as Dark Shadow's claws reached out to her, ready to throw her out of the arena. A pink tongue darted out of her mouth as Naruto rolled over, blue eyes darting everywhere. _He plans not to give me a chance to think or use my clones._ She dashed forward as Tokoyami charged straight at her.

She shoved her fingers against her pockets, fingering for one of her homemade weapons. _Smoke bombs? Would that give me enough time to take him out?_ A claw scratched her and the girl jumped up, eyes darting everywhere before nodding her head.

Taking out the smoke bomb, Naruto dropped it into the ground and smoke began to fill the arena. Brownish smoke wrapped and hovered around the arena just like a ghost as the blond-haired girl landed gracefully into the ground. _Five minutes._ She had five whole minutes to fight him while he was blinded by the attack.

"_A fight in the smokes!"_

Naruto pressed her fingers together and took several deep breaths as her clones appeared again. Their eyes flickered at her, lips pressed into a hard frown as they charged through the arena to attack her raven-headed classmate.

She was going to do whatever it take to win.

* * *

"_That's Konoha's Jinchuuriki."_

Whispers broke out in the council hall of Kumogakure as a group of elderly men and women along with A, who stroked his beard at the sight in front of him. All of them sat in chairs with their eyes fixated on the television screen, hands rubbing their chins.

"I heard from one of my spies that Konoha decided to exile one of their jinchuuriki," a member of his council declared. "Not once in these two and half years, has anyone caught sight of her but the fact she is in television means that there is some truth about the rumours."

One of the elderly men shook his head. "But to be in some television instead of being a shinobi, that is just a waste—"

"Is it a television drama?" Another member of the council tapped his fingers against the table and focused his eyes at the smoke-covered arena. "Or is it another country filled with so many powerful and wonderful Kekkei Genkei that we can integrate into our own village?"

A rubbed his chin and leaned forward, dark eyes fixated on the girl. _If they wanted to keep her parentage a secret then they did a shitty job; it is clear who her father is._ He pressed his lips into a thin line as more whispers followed from his advisor's words.

"Do you truly believe that this thing is not a drama?"

"The proof is in the Jinchuuriki and that red-haired man. When that red-haired man who stood up to defend those two students, who did his appearance remind you of?" Another member questioned. A grinded his teeth together as several of the members flickered their eyes together, lips pressed into a thin line as a memory washed over them. _Uzumaki Kenji._ The man had been a pain in his neck in the beginning of the Third Shinobi War.

But he died along with all the other Uzushiogakure's shinobi when they infiltrated them.

"He looks like a member of the Uzumaki clan," the council member declared. "I thought we annihilated them during the Third Shinobi War with the help of Kiri and Iwa. Of course we have a few of them in our mist and there is so little of them left, but it seems like the numbers are larger than expected."

Another elder tapped their chin. "They were a large and powerful clan, rivalled only by the Senju, Uchiha and the Hyuga clan. When we ordered the attack, we only broke through five of the six seal barriers that they put in place in their village."

"The old Uzushiokage was a paranoid man," another spoke out with a grimace. "One of my spies mentioned that there were talks of an escape way if anything happened to the village during their war, but they lived in such a small island that the idea seemed laughable. But perhaps the Uzushiokage was smarter than we give him credit despite his old, senile age."

A kept quiet and stared at the blond-haired girl that gave a victory sign when it was announced that she was the winner of her battle. Long blond hair, bright blue eyes and whisker marks decorated her cheeks but what stood out about her was the lack of absolute joy in her eyes. _One more jinchuuriki would be good for the village._ Konoha was willing to discard her but he would take her in.

He would make her an offer that she could not refuse and B would help him.

"So do we try and kidnap another Uzumaki again?"

A loud clatter was heard as another member slammed her hands against the table, eyes blazing with fury and annoyance at the suggestion. "Do you remember what happened the last time we tried to take an Uzumaki? The Yellow Flash murdered my son in order to rescue her and she had no clan to back her up at the time. We take a member right under their noses and we will have another war again."

The Raikage rubbed his chin and focused on the television screen. "But this is not just any Uzumaki. This is the child of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina and if rumors are true then we can persuade her to build a life in our village. We will offer her a sanctuary in our village and make her see that Kumo will be willing to make any wishes and desires of hers come true."

"Are you certain that she will be willing?" Another elder questioned. "She seemed to have chosen a life outside of the Elemental Countries."

"She can be persuaded," the first elder replied. "If there is one thing that an Uzumaki values it is their family and friends. If we find out which one of her friends in that country is her weak spot and used it against her then the girl will come over. Her desire to protect them will overcome any desire she has to stay there."

The second elder nodded. "And we will have a double benefit of taking her and having another Kekkei Genkai in the village."

The more tools they had, the more powerful their village will be compared to all the other hidden villages.

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**A/N: **Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"_It's the round that everyone has been waiting for,"_ Present Mic's voice bounced off the walls of the stadium as cheers and roars erupted from the gathered crowds. "_Both competitors are one of the top students in their class and the world ain't big enough for the both of them. It's Midoriya Izuku against Todoroki Shouto!"_

Naruto leaned her body forward and took several deep breaths at the sight of her friend and classmate looking so determined. Midoriya's eyes seemed to be squinting with his lips curled into an ugly scowl while Todoroki grinded his teeth together.

"So Uzumaki, who are you supporting in this round?" Naruto tore her eyes away and turned her whole body around to see Kirishima tilting his head at her. His eyebrows seemed to be knitted together as his eyes flickered from both Todoroki and Midoriya to her.

Naruto took a deep breath and forced a smile. "I support the both of them."

Kirishima blinked while her various classmates just knitted their eyebrows together. What did they want her to say? She couldn't say she support one over the other, not when the both of them affected her in different ways. Midoriya was the kid that asked her to help him train and the kid that reminded her of Hinata. Her eyes drifted to Todoroki. Todoroki was her first friend here.

She couldn't choose between the two of them.

"_Begin!"_

Todoroki curved his right hand, ice beginning to form from underneath him as his right leg made contact to the arena's floor. A wave of large, jagged crystals propelled forward and raced towards the green-haired boy. They grew closer together until it formed one giant spike that seemed ready to enclasped him.

Green eyes glinted with determination as he swung his whole arm back, coiling it like a clockwork before releasing it like a swing on the glaciers. They cracked, stumbled and some of it flew out of the arena while others seemed to be heading straight to Todoroki. Heavy winds blew across, and the cold air nipped Naruto to the bone.

Her friend placed his hands together into a cross and moved his leg behind, forming a large, pointy ice wall that seemed to be holding him in place. He ducked down as the crystal hit the stadium's walls. Cheers erupted from the crowds but Naruto could only press her lips into a thin line.

_Midoriya is doing good but something is still bothering Todoroki._ His eyes seemed to be present but they also seemed to be looking at someone else. Taking a deep breath, the girl followed his eyes and grimaced at the sight of Endeavour folding his arms against his chest. _But Endeavour doesn't seem to be looking at either of them…it is almost like he isn't focusing at all with them._

Did her words affect him?

"_He smashed through the ice like it wasn't a problem!"_ Awe leaked out of Present Mic's voice as papers and various items seemed to have dropped at the display of strength.

There was a crazed look in Midoriya eyes as he looked at the calm-face Todoroki. Her classmate had his teeth grinded together and feet spread apart as Todoroki launched another blast of ice attacks at him. _If he doesn't try to focus his Quirk to one aspect of his body then Midoriya will stand a chance._ Naruto gulped down a lump and her breath seemed to be stuck in her throat.

Her friend took a deep breath and smashed through the incoming ice._ Midoriya can't be in the defensive and Todoroki can't keep launching these types of ice attacks._ She leaned forward, hands gripping the rails like it was her lifeline as the wind flew against her face.

"He hasn't broken a single bone yet," Bakugou commented from right beside her. Naruto twisted her head around as red eyes seemed to be fixated at the lack of bruises around Midoriya's arms. He darted his eyes to her. "What the hell did you tell him? No two Quirks are similar."

Everyone turned to look at her and Naruto focused her eyes at them. The desire to scoff and ignore their questioning eyes were great but Midoriya could have a big mouth for all she knew. She grinded her teeth, took several deep breaths and relaxed her whole body.

"Midoriya kept focusing his Quirk in one aspect of his body," Naruto explained. "And that isn't how a person fights in an actual match so I showed him how I battle and hoped that it would explain it to him. That isn't good in a fight and it seemed to have translated badly when it came to his Quirk."

Yaoyorozu tilted her head. "Uzumaki, will the same thing happen to you?"

Silence hung between them as Naruto darted her eyes to Midoriya and Todoroki.

"_Are you trying to make this an endurance match?"_ Todoroki shouted, launching another set of ice attacks at Midoriya. Green eyes widened as the ice crystals thrusted forward towards him, their crystals getting sharper and sharper as it get closer to him. "_Because if you are, I will end it right here and right now."_

Midoriya smashed his hands together as Todoroki launched himself forward. His eyes kept darting around, looking almost at loss and Naruto groaned. _He is trying to overthink things instead of just going straight at him._ She grinded her teeth together and glanced at Jiraiya from the other side of the stand.

Black eyes seemed to focus on Todoroki. Her friend grabbed on the broken ice, almost using it as a board before landing straight down on the ground. His leg touched the ground, freezing it and launching another set of ice to him.

Midoriya jumped back, legs stumbling and eyes flashing with annoyance as Todoroki crouched down to launch another wave of attacks. Her classmate breathed in and out as his whole body trembled at the sight in front of him.

"It's not just his Quirk," Midoriya panted. "Everything about his abilities is powerful."

_Because he has been training since he learnt his Quirk and you only just started._ Naruto chewed her tongue as her classmates took a couple of deep breaths. To compare them at this state of time would be wrong because of the unfair advantage that Todoroki held over Midoriya. Her classmate had only began to master his Quirk two weeks ago, while Todoroki had _years_ to master.

"_Todoroki is continuing his overwhelming offense!"_ Present Mic announced as the next set of ice flew straight towards Midoriya. "_It looks like this ice will make for a finishing blow!"_

"You are getting tired, Midoriya." Todoroki announce as sweat dripped down of Midoriya's face. Her classmate clenched his jaw, lips curled into a tight line as his emerald eyes darkened into a shade that reminded Naruto of seaweed.

"**Where **are you looking at?" Midoriya growled as he slung his hand up and punched through the incoming ice. Naruto's lips twitched slightly as the green-haired boy launched forward, increasing his speed as Todoroki's eyes widened. It probably would not compare to Naruto's speed but it was a hell lot better than before.

He reached his hand out to punch but Todoroki grabbed hold of it as his body shivered. Frost seemed to be creeping up around his right side, decorating his hands and Naruto tightened her grip on the rails. Her breath seemed to hitch slightly as Midoriya panted.

"You are shivering, Todoroki-kun." Midoriya flickered his eyes at her and Naruto blinked when both boys looked at her. "Quirks are just another one of our physical functions and like someone once told me, I can't just use only one part of my body. The same can be said for you! There is only a limit of how much of your own generated cold that you can take, isn't there?"

_Is he trying to make Todoroki use his left side?_ Naruto's lips trembled as blue eyes softened at the way her classmate seemed to struggle to keep himself up. Midoriya stumbled slightly but straightened his back and focused his eyes on the screen.

"Do you remember what Uzumaki said in her opening speech?" Naruto blinked as Midoriya flickered his eyes at her. "Everyone worked so hard for the Sports Festival because they want to become number one. You think you can win using only half of your power but you haven't been able to land a single scratch on me."

Blue eyes widened and drank in the sight of the clear, lack of bruises.

"So get over here and _**fight me**_!"

_I guess you really do care more about helping people instead of winning the match._

* * *

"Look at Endeavour's kid!"

For just a moment, Dabi stilled in the middle of the street as his roommate turned his whole body around to look at him with raised eyebrows.

The words echoed in Dabi's ears and he knew he made quite a picture with his scarred face and tattered clothes. The world around him seemed to blur slightly as he forced himself to walk closer to the television screen, where the image of Endeavour's youngest son panting and frost-bitten body stared angrily at his opponent.

His roommate came to stand right beside him, eyebrows raised at the sight of his stilled body. "Are you really going to watch the Sports Festival? I thought you hated the bullshit that people call heroes."

Only silence hung between them as Dabi took in the sight of his youngest brother grinding his teeth together. _He has gotten taller. He is probably taller than me by now._ He shook his head and took a couple of breaths, turquoise eyes flared with mistrust as his childhood memories flashed before his eyes.

'_To-niisan!'_

His brother had gotten a burnt scar because of their shitty old man always taking it out on their mother. Dabi clenched his jaw together, hands curled into a fist as his own roommate whistled at the display of strength being thrown at his opponent.

Dabi lowered his hood as Shouto's opponent curled his hands into a fist, smashing it against Shouto's stomach. The air knocked out of his brother's lips as he flew a couple of feet away. The mismatch boy landed on the ground, pushed himself up as he clutched the sides of his ribs.

'_To-niisan, I'm hurt. I thought Father would play with me, not hit me.'_

His throat tightened for just a brief second but then his eyes hardened as another words of the past echoed in his ears. _I want to become a hero._ Scarred fingers touch the scars decorating his arms, chest and even his face as his companion took in the fight with wide eyes. Dabi clicked his heels together, body ready to move but a pair of teary mismatch eyes flashed before him.

_He is still a fool and naïve to keep following that shitty man's path._

The camera zoomed away from the fight and spanned through the various members of the audience. Heroes, both old and new, occupied the stadium and Dabi's fingers twitched at the sight of Eisuke. _Uzushiokage. The fool always wanted to be a hero for some stupid reason._ His companion stilled at the sight of a pretty, blond-haired girl with bright blue eyes.

"So that bastard did reproduce after all," Dabi raised an eyebrow at his companion.

Dabi sighed. "Bastard?"

His roommate nodded and clenched his hands into a fist as eyes flared with anger. "Didn't I tell you about the bastard that killed my mother during a war in my country? I still remember what the bastard looked like in our books and that girl looks exactly like him."

Dabi clicked his heels and grunted at his companion. His roommate was only convenient to him and whoever the bastard wanted to kill was of no business to him. Turquoise eyes focused on the mismatch eyes of the fifteen-year-old and his lips curled in disgust and irritation as his brother stood up with a smile, almost reminiscent of his three-year-old self.

'_To-niisan, why did Father forbid me to play with you guys now that I have my Quirk?'_

"_I'm going to become a Hero!"_

Dabi grinded his teeth and smashed his hand against the glass window, earning blinking eyes from his companion.

_The bastard must have brainwashed him, because no way he wants to be a hero after what that shitty man did to him._

His little brother must still long to have their father's approval. It had to be the only reason that he would be blinded to take a path that would only bring pain to him, because heroes always hurt their families. They never take care of them.

His brother would see that soon if not by their father then Dabi would show him of just how worthless that dream of his truly was.

* * *

"What are you doing here?"

Todoroki could only blink at the sight of Uzumaki standing in front of the waiting room doors with a pair of brightly wrapped popsicle. No smile played on her lips but her eyes seemed to be focused on his face like she seemed to be searching for something. Shrugging her shoulders, Uzumaki took a seat and handed him the popsicle.

"Checking up on you and bringing you a popsicle to brighten up your day since these people don't have the audacity to sell soba noodles for me to give you to cheer up," Uzumaki declared. She flickered her eyes at him, lips pressed into a thin line. "Are you okay?"

He nodded and he peeled open the popsicle's wrapper, raising his eyebrow at the bright orange popsicle. Silence hung between them as Todoroki inhaled and put the popsicle inside his mouth, rolling it back and forth as the emotions in his mind started to clear away.

Finally, he muttered. "I'm fine so you don't need to worry about me."

A single blond eyebrow raised at his words and the chair shuffled back as Uzumaki leaned forward till the only thing he could see were her bright blue eyes. Swirls of emotions seemed to be expressed through her eyes but only one thing stood out to him and it was her clear concern for him. A sigh escaped from her lips, tickling his whole face.

"Physically, you still look like a Pretty Boy," Uzumaki deadpanned and she poked his chest. "But in there, you are probably a hot mess with what Midoriya forced you to do."

He grimaced and took several deep breaths. For all Uzumaki claims before about not caring about people and not trusting them, she could be really blunt in pointing out about someone else feelings. _She doesn't care if it makes you feel uncomfortable._

A pink tongue darted outside of her lips and blue eyes focused on his own mismatch eyes. "Look I know it isn't easy for you to use that side of your Quirk and I know no matter how easy Midoriya makes it seem, it isn't easy to be convinced to use an aspect of your Quirk that you hate."

Todoroki inhaled as his heart wavered at her words. Blue eyes seemed to be fixated at him, focusing on his eyes and then it darted to his trembling hands. Her eyes returned back to him and Todoroki could only blink at the level of understanding in her eyes. _It is like she understood how much I really struggle to like it._ Uzumaki's words helped him and Midoriya's words made him realize that he couldn't reach his goal with just ice.

Uzumaki's lips began to twitch as his eyes continued to stare back at her. Redness crept up around Uzumaki's face as his friend tugged on her bright blond-hair.

"When I fought Midoriya, I really did forget about him." She blinked and Todoroki kept his eyes focused on her blue eyes. "And then I started to remember my Mum's words and the things you said to me."

Blue eyes blinked at his admission and then it softened slightly as his friend placed her hands on top of his own hands. His whole body tensed up as frost slowly crept up on Uzumaki's hands, but his friend did not shiver or make any comment. He forced himself to heat up his left side to melt away the frost that seemed to be forming around her.

"Do you want to talk about her? Your mum?"

Todoroki pressed his lips into a thin line and took several deep breaths as his heart battled over to tell her or not._ Friends talk about their problems, didn't they?_ Uzumaki wouldn't push him to talk but he trusted her about the secrets of his family. If he could tell her about Touya then he could definitely tell her about his mother.

So he told her about how his mother used to try and protect him from his father, always arguing and fighting with him about his actions towards him. He told her about the hugs that she used to give him in the hopes of trying to ease the pain and ache that he got from his father's intense training. His voice began to choke up at the mention of her smiles.

Warmth soaked through his whole body, destroying away the stinging pain that only came from ice. Blinking, Todoroki felt his throat dried up when Uzumaki hugged him. His heart raced against his chest, thundering and pounding as tears seemed to soaked his clothes. His hand hovered over her back as he tried to think of how to cheer her up.

"Why are you crying?"

_You never cry._

His friend pushed herself off of him and offered him a smile. "Because I'm sad of the hell that you and your family went through. I think the last time I cried this much was that time with Haku."

Todoroki could see even more tears flowing out of her eyes and he took a deep breath. Lifting his hand up, he wiped away the trail of tears streaming down her eyes. She blinked and blinked as he continued to rub the tears off of her face, hoping it would be enough for her to understand what he wanted her to do.

Heat began to creep up against her face as her eyes followed his fingers, taking in the way they kept rubbing away the tears that seemed to escape from her eyes.

Uzumaki pulled away from him. "I-I should check up on Midoriya because he really did went over the limit, this time. Of course, I'm not saying this because my tummy feels weird or the room seems to be extremely hot when you did what you did. Oh dear god, ignore me! Why the hell are you making me turn into a motor mouth? Just shut me—"

"I like it when you talk like this."

Uzumaki's cheeks burned up at his declaration as she turned from a shade of strawberry to a shade of tomato at his words. He bobbed his head as he took in the actual emotions being shown. There were no fake smiles decorating her face and the surprised look suited her more.

He nodded.

"Why?"

Todoroki tilted his head. "Because you look nice."

"Nice?"

Did she want him to elaborate?

"You look cute."

Uzumaki squeaked and bolted away from him, leaving him to knit his eyebrows together and tilt his head at the sight of his friend dashing away from him.

_Did I say something wrong?_

* * *

_I swear Todoroki needs to get a filter in his mouth because he might make some poor girl fall in love with him._

Naruto slapped her cheeks and took a couple of deep breaths, hoping and praying it would be enough to calm down her pounding heart. Her hand wrapped around the door knob, pushing it open and she peeked through the door. A sigh of relief escaped from her lips at the sight of Midoriya sitting up and getting ready to get out of his bed.

"Uzumaki, what are you doing here? I thought you would be checking up on Todoroki."

Blood rushed to her cheeks at the mention of her friend and Midoriya tilted his head, eyebrows knitted together at her reaction. She took several deep breaths as soft mismatch eyes looked at her along with the confused look in his face as he told her that she _look cute_.

"Y-Yeah, I check up on him and he is doing fine."

She squashed down the butterflies fluttering in her stomach as Midoriya frowned at her response. Green eyes flashed with concern and Naruto avoided his eyes, focusing more on the television screen plastered on the side of the room.

"Did something happen between you and Todoroki-kun?" Naruto furiously shook her head but the green-haired boy frowned, raising a single eyebrow at her as his eyes took in her flushed complexion. _Todoroki was being his clueless self so I shouldn't take it seriously._

"Your face is red." Midoriya pointed out to her.

Naruto took in several deep breaths as her eyes focused on her classmate. Should she tell him what happened? Her classmate was not the type to gossip but she did not really know him all that well. Could she really trust him with this? _If I don't tell him then Aizawa-sensei would be right and I want to prove him wrong._ A sigh escaped from her lips.

"He said I look cute."

Midoriya knitted his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side. "Doesn't that make you happy? Girls liked to be complimented, don't they?"

Naruto clenched her hands into a fist and bit her tongue from spilling anything that might give him hints about her past. No way could Midoriya understand just how cruel little girls could be nor did she want to unleash the burden on him. She hunched her shoulders and focused her eyes on her outfit as the door slid open.

"J-Jiraiya-san?"

The goofy smile on Jiraiya's face dropped when he caught sight of the red-faced expression of Naruto and the wide-eyes of Midoriya, who seemed to be just a couple of inches away from hovering around her. Black eyes narrowed and the green-haired boy gulped before moving a couple of steps away from her.

"What did you do to her, Izuku?" Jiraiya demanded.

The boy raised his hands up and spluttered. "I-It's not me! It was Todoroki!"

Jiraiya swirled his head at the flushed girl, eyebrows raised and he frowned when Naruto kept her eyes focused on her hands. A swam of butterflies seemed to be flying in her stomach like it always did whenever Todoroki seemed to be mentioned. She peeked up and flushed a brighter shade of red when Jiraiya looked at her with knowing eyes.

"Is Todoroki her boyfriend?"

Naruto spluttered and hugged her chest as green eyes grew round at the accusation. Her chest heaved up and down as black eyes held a slight hint of amusement and seriousness, not looking at all like he seemed to be joking about his question. The air around her seemed to be getting heavier as mismatch eyes flashed against her mind again.

She swallowed down a lump and squashed down the butterflies. "He's a friend! Only a friend! Nothing more and nothing less!"

Friends could have these emotions and it would die down in the next couple of minutes. The blushes, butterflies and anything else that seemed to be funny for her were going to go away, because what happened was just a one time deal. It was just the result of being surprised by how open he could be with her about his feelings and opinion.

There was nothing else to it.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter. What do you think of the changes made so far throughout the story?**


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

_I want some food._

Food was a basic right that should never be denied to anyone but at the age of six, Naruto learns that not everyone was willing to give her food. Even though there was some money in her pocket. _Real money that the Hokage gave her, not some money that she got through from either begging or stealing from someone else._ She thought going to the supermarket with actual money will change things.

The store owners still kicked her out and throw water at her.

_I just want to eat some food and feel some more warmth. _Naruto shivered and looked at the world around her. With the various snowflakes covering the floor and the blankets of snow wrapped snugly around the buildings, the village looked like a winter wonderland but it held no laughter. She kicked a pebble and her lips curled into a scowl, eyes flickering to the various stands and restaurants at offer.

Her eyes lingers on a small ramen stand and shuffled her feet together. Blue eyes flickered to the various people in the crowds, who seemed to be looking everywhere but at her. _They __**always**__ ignore me. What am I? A fly._ She grinded her teeth together and shuffled her feet towards the ramen stand.

She stopped walking when a man walked out of the stand, pushing away the curtains. Black eyes locked on her and it softened which makes Naruto blink. She just stood in front of the ramen stand, hands shoved against her pockets and her nose twitched at the scent.

The man leaned forward to her and the blond-haired girl took a step back, blue eyes narrowing at him. The smile on his face wavered, dropping to a frown. He knelt down and a smile formed around his lips, making Naruto's bright blue eyes widened.

"_Don't you want to come in, little girl? I make some really tasty ramen." _He informed her. His eyes lingered on her hair and then it moved down to her blue eyes and sadness leaked out of it. For a brief moment, a tear seemed to leak out of his eye but it was gone as soon as it was there. It must have been her imagination.

She blinked. _"Ramen?"_

Was he offering her a chance to eat some food?

"_It is really tasty,"_ the man smiled and patted his stomach before holding out a hand to her. "_And I bet it can warm you up."_

The smile on his face brought a sense of warmth in her and she steps back. Her blue eyes focused on the outstretched hand that seemed to beckoning her to follow him. _Why was he being so nice to me?_ She chewed on her bottom lip and dropped her head as the wind slapped against her whole body and Naruto shivered.

She darted her eyes to the inside of the shop, where an older girl peaks out with her brown eyes looking at her with curiosity. There was no one else in the restaurant and it made sense to the young girl when she looks at the various families that seemed to be going back home. Her eyes lingered on the smiling wife, scowling husband and their two children.

The smiling wife looked at her and then her eyes flickered to the ramen stand owner. Those black eyes flashed with pain and understanding as if she knew something that she did not know. The youngest son tugged his mother's sleeve and the moment between them was gone. She turned her head away as the woman looked down at her son with her lips curled into a sad smile.

_Naruto never noticed that even then Sasuke was always looking at her._

She leaned forward and decided to follow him inside the store. The stabbing coldness in her body seemed to be fading away and the blond-haired girl blinked when the man pulled out a large bowl, filling it with soup and noodles along with various food. Her nose twitched and saliva began to dribble down her mouth.

"_I-Is this for me?"_ She looked at the large ramen bowl and picked it up. _It's so huge._ She nibbled her bottom lip and looked at the older male, who smiled at her and gestured for her to eat. She took the chopsticks and began to gobble down the ramen, which seemed to stuffle down the growing hunger in her stomach and filled her bones with warmth.

When it came to the soup, Naruto took a deep breath and picked up the large bowl from the table. Her lips touched the warm ramen bowl, slurping it down till her tongue could touch every last droplet of the miso soup of her ramen. Not once did she lower the bowl to look at the kind man that gave her, her very first warm meal in her life.

"_How much, mister?"_ Naruto asked, wiping her mouth with her hands and lips curled into a large smile as the man looked down at her with such sad eyes. There was a funny feeling in her stomach and the smile in her lips didn't feel painful, it felt natural. He smiled down at her and his hand ruffled her hair.

"_It's free."_

She blinks and the smile on her face grew even larger.

That was the day Naruto met Teuchi and from that day on, Naruto adores the taste of ramen. It wasn't because it was cheap like Sakura or Sasuke believed but because Teuchi gave her, her very first warm meal. A meal that she thinks her mother would have made if she had been alive.

So whenever Naruto thought that a person had become a friend or became close to her then Naruto would bring them to the ramen stand as a way of saying that she accepted them as her friends.

* * *

_I came here to win._

The flames danced in front of Naruto and blue eyes stared at the mismatch eyes staring back at her. Crowds cheered all around her as if reminding her that this was not just a friendly match between two friends, but also a match watched by the whole world. Her steps grew heavier and heavier as she walked away from the tunnel and towards the arena.

"_Starting off the third rounds, she is making a name for herself and making true to her oath, it's Class A's Uzumaki Naruto!"_

'_I'm going to win the whole damn thing.'_

The crowds erupted into even louder cheers as Naruto halted across the arena. Her eyes flickered to the cameras, lips forced into a smile as her hands clenched and unclenched into a fist. _If I win this round then I am going to the finals and prove to the whole world that I survived and that nothing can stop me._

She leaned her body forward. "I'm not going to go easy on you, Pretty Boy."

"_You don't have to pretend that you are fine!"_

Todororki's brow creased slightly at the nickname bestowed on him and he said nothing, only nodding at her words. Naruto darted her eyes to the audience, stopping only at her mentor and her lips twitched into a large smile at the proud look on Jiraiya's face. This was not just her chance to show everyone that she improved, but show the hard work that Jiraiya poured into her.

She looked towards the stands where she knew her classmates sat. They smiled widely at her, giving her thumbs up and a few of her fellow female classmates had a banner with her name plastered on it. _They are cheering for me?_ _But why?_ She blinked even more when she sees Kendou and Tokage taking a seat with the other girls, their lips curled into a cheerful smile.

_They want me to win._

She curled her lips into a smile.

"_And over here, is the son of the number two hero and a boy that is both hot and cold, Todoroki Shouto! This will be a fated battle between classmates and friends."_

"I don't expect you to use your fire," Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and looked around the various, cheering classmates and heroes. "But I expect you to give me a match that can rival the one that Midoriya had."

"_Will these two set aside their friendship to give the audience a show that they have been waiting for?"_

Todoroki pressed his lips into a thin line and his mismatch eyes flickered to the cameras surrounding them before focusing back on her. There weren't many emotions shining through them. No, those mismatch eyes just reflected back her reflection and she faltered slightly at the sight of her own eyes.

_Had my eyes always looked at the world like they expected something bad to happen? Like the world is out to get me?_

"Uzumaki." Todoroki's voice bulldozed through her thoughts, crashing and reminding her that this was not the time for her to care about what she looked like. _I will fix my eyes later._ She chanted those words in her mind as mismatch eyes flashed with concern. It was not long before another pair of milky eyes flashed before her, pleading and begging for her to show her that she was fine.

But had she ever been fine?

She was abandoned as a toddler, abused as a little girl and never fully accepted anywhere. The mystery of her parents still haunted her because Naruto didn't know who she was. She didn't even know where she actually came from and it was now more apparent to her as ever. There was always going to be a void and pain inside of her until she finds out who they were.

_Her family abandoned her and the people that was supposed to be there for her, either left her alone to suffer in her grief or were murdered._

"Begin!"

Todoroki slammed his hands onto the ground and a barrage of glaciers erupted forth. Naruto narrowed her eyes and curled her hand into a fist, taking a deep breath and channeled her chakra into her hands. She smashed her hand through the glaciers, cracking and smashing through it. Crystals flew all around as the blond-haired girl narrowed her eyes.

Her friend tensed up, eyes narrowing as Naruto launched herself straight at him. _Tricks and all that, those things won't work with him because he always goes for the big, flashy attacks._ Her lips curled into a smile as she did a flip, hands grabbing his shirt and slamming his whole body down to the ground.

He grabbed her arm, trying to yank her but Naruto channeled chakra to the soles of her feet and launched the mismatch boy out of the arena. Mismatch eyes widened as he placed his right hand and leg behind him, forming a wave of jagged crystals that propelled him around the arena and in bounds.

_This is going to be a fight worth showing._

"He avoids falling out of bounds with an ice wave! Looks like fun!"

Naruto propelled herself forward, right hand curled into a fist and Todoroki snatched her arm. Mismatch eyes stared back at her as if telling her that he really wanted to win this and Naruto hardened her eyes. She grabbed hold of him, small fingers wrapping around his collar and swinging him out of the arena.

'_Are you okay?'_

His words echoed in her mind as if to remind her that Todoroki had been the first person in this country to notice that she wasn't fine. She gulped down, put her fingers together and channeled chakra into her stomach. _Tiger. Ox. Dog. Rabbit. Snake._ She put her hands together and breathed out the large air, swirling and whirling straight towards him.

_I might have used too much chakra because I didn't want to make a hurricane._

"_Wow!"_ Present Mic shuffled and the microphone fell off as he leaned forward. He picked up the microphone and let out an excited breath. "_Now that is one way for Uzumaki to stand out. What can this girl not do?"_

Just as soon as he finished saying those words, Todoroki slammed against the walls of the stadium. Mismatch eyes winced and Naruto grimaced, flickering her eyes to Midnight and the woman declared that Naruto won the match. Taking a deep breath, the blond-haired girl jumped off the arena and charged straight towards him.

_I guess I need to make it up for him._

* * *

"You're awake."

Shouto groaned and he darted his eyes around the infirmary room. The last thing he remembered was a very strong hurricane heading straight towards him along with Uzumaki's guilty eyes. _I thought I knew her skills and she surprises me._ He blinked when he sees Uzumaki sitting right beside him, arms folded against her chest and eyes fixated on him.

His mind finally processed what she said.

"How long have I been unconscious?" Shouto placed his hands on either side of the bed and he pushed himself up until he was sitting up straight. His head still felt a pounding sensation from the collision of his back against that hard, concrete stadium. He rubbed the sides of his head and stared at his friend.

Uzumaki sighed and flickered her eyes to the television screen, where Bakugou was fighting against that green-haired girl that his friend had in her team. She licked her dried lips and finally let out a small sigh. "Maybe twenty minutes?"

He nodded and looked down at his hands before glancing at Uzumaki. His friend nibbled her bottom lips and she looked everywhere but at him. Was she feeling guilty for what happened during the match? Or was there something else bothering her? If it was the former then she shouldn't feel guilty, she warned him.

"Why aren't you with Midoriya? Or the others?"

Uzumaki chewed on her bottom lip and flickered her eyes around the room, never landing on his eyes. It felt like hours passed until finally his friend looked at him with blue eyes flashing with regret. She took several deep breaths and Shouto knitted his eyebrows. It was not like his friend to act like this and Shouto leaned forward. His hand hovered against her forehead and Uzumaki raised her eyebrow.

"Are you checking that I have a fever?"

He nodded and dropped his hand. "You are acting strange."

"I guess it is because I realize that I don't like how I have been acting to you and everyone in our class," he blinked and his friend took several deep breaths. Uzumaki closed her eyes and looked straight at him. "I owe you an apology…I owe everyone an apology."

Shouto tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows. "What are you sorry for?"

Silence hung between them as Naruto looked down at her lap with her bright blond hair masking the emotions flowing through her eyes. She took a deep breath. "I am sorry for acting like a complete bitch to you when we first met and for not being friendly with everyone. It was never right for me to take out my issues on everyone."

He nodded and stared at his friend. The blond-haired girl rubbed the back of her neck and then took a couple of deep breaths before hunching her back at him. What could he tell her to cheer her up? Nothing seemed to come to his mind when it came to cheering her up. She opened her mouth to say something but then closed her mouth.

"And?"

She raised her eyebrow at him. "You are really milking this, aren't you?"

"No, it looks like you wanted to say something more." He sighed and looked at the clock as a pair of grey eyes flashed before him alongside another set of memory. Ever since his battle with Midoriya and his talk with Uzumaki, the childhood memories that he worked so hard to repress had decided to come out and it made him question what he did know and what he didn't know.

"I guess I'm trying to say that maybe we should try again with this whole friend thing."

Todoroki curled his lips. "I'm not very good at being a friend."

"You can learn." She quirked her lips into a smile and rubbed her chin. Blue eyes flashed with amusement while Todoroki just tilted his head at her, one eyebrow raised at her. If he had to admit that he was a failure when it came to being a good friend then she needed to admit something to him.

"Okay," she sighed. "I don't know how to trust people."

Shouto nodded. "You can learn."

Uzumaki nibbled her bottom lips as the words hung between them, a promise or a vow to overcome their own shortcomings. He tried really hard to be a friend to this girl but maybe there were times when he took things too far with her. _Naru-chan_ was forbidden and he understood why when he recalls the pain in her eyes as she talked about the abuse she went through.

"Ramen," he blinked his eyes and Uzumaki regarded him. "If I want to be serious about this whole friendship between us then we are going out to eat after this Sports Festival and ramen is my offer. Not just the two of us…I guess Midoriya too because he kinda grow on me."

Todoroki nodded and he quirked his lips into a small almost smile. He leaned his body forward till they were only a few centimeters apart. Mismatch eyes focused on those blue eyes and the silence between them grew tense at her words. Despite her words and her desires, Todoroki knew it was not going to be easy for her. Just like it was not easy for him to use his left side, the same could be said for her trust problems.

"Uzumaki, I know that trust takes years to be made and that it is very easy for it to be broken," his friend looked at him and he took a deep breath. His eyes focused on her bright blue eyes. "But I heard from someone that the best way for you to find out if you can trust someone is to trust them. Aizawa-sensei and I will be there for you in every single step of the way."

Uzumaki smiled. "And I think you won't have any problems with the whole friendship thing because you got it down."

He didn't know if his words got through to her but he hoped for her sake that it did.

* * *

**A/N: There are another two to three more chapters before the first book is done, so I would like to thank everyone for their support for the rewrite. Please do review and tell me what you think about the chapters and the story as a whole, and any questions that you have.**


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N:** I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

"_What are you doing here?"_

A single blond eyebrow was raised as Naruto took in the sight of Midoriya standing in front of her. The young teen rubbed the back of his neck, lips pressed into a nervous smile as he took a seat right beside her. The chair shuffled back and Naruto just stared at the boy that she saw as both a friend and a little boy that always needed to be protected.

"I guess I want to say good luck," Midoriya quirked a nervous smile. "But I guess you don't really need it since you and Kacchan are both quite strong."

She almost quirked her lips into a smile as the commentary of the third round echoed in the background, reminding her of what was on the line for her. Bakugou's red furious eyes stood out in the television as he fought against a smiling Tokage. The television soon switched to her own match, showcasing her blue eyes that stared at the world like they were out to get her.

'_You are just an ugly fox that would be lucky if someone loves you.'_

"So who are you going to cheer for: Bakugou or me?" She flashed him a fake smile and pushed back the memories of a childhood that constantly wanted to remind her of what she was.

Midoriya knitted his eyebrows and rubbed the back of his neck. "Can't I cheer for the both of you?"

"You still consider Bakugou as your friend." Surprised leaked out of Naruto's tone as she knitted her eyebrows at him and Midoriya sighed. He looked at the television screen, body leaning forward as a tiny, sad smile played on his lips. He darted his eyes from her to the television and then back to her as a sigh escaped from his lips.

"Kacchan can act like an ass and he is an ass," Naruto blinked and quirked her lips into a tiny smile as Midoriya took several deep breaths. "But he wasn't always an ass to me. There was a time when our friendship was strong but it just came crashing down because I tried to help him up from a fall."

Silence hung between them as Midoriya nibbled his bottom lip, hands running through his curly hair and Naruto looked up at the ceiling. There were no words that she could use to help him because Naruto doesn't actually know Bakugou. Sometimes there were hints of decency in him and other times, she thinks that he was scum.

"Until I offered him my hand, Kacchan wasn't the worst bully," Naruto swirled her head at him and Midoriya nodded. "He did keep reminding me about my lack of Quirk but we still played together…and that was better than what the other kindergarteners did to me."

Fondness leaked out of his voice and Naruto tilted her head. So many words were on the tip of her tongue but it felt like there was a lump in her throat stopping her from talking to him. _I guess it is because I can't really talk about his foolishness of considering Bakugou as a friend._ A pair of black eyes flashed before her and she knows that bonds weren't easy to be broken.

"You still admire him."

Midoriya scratched his neck and laughed. "He was the kid that could do everything right from the start and the kid that was always grabbing people's attention. It is kind of hard not to admire him, especially when I compare myself to him. He is amazing with his use of his Quirk, probably better than Todoroki-kun and he always had people praising him."

Naruto forced herself to smile at those words and squash down the swirl of ugly emotions swirling inside of her. _You are __**not smart enough**__ to make this score._ Her throat itched as the cruel words echoed in her ear, reminding her again of the difference in the childhood that she had with Bakugou. No matter how hard she worked and studied, no one acknowledge it.

"Is it weird that I consider him as a friend?" Naruto blinked as Midoriya looked at her with head tilted to the side and eyebrows scrunched together. "Uraraka and Iida consider me strange to still think of him as a friend even though he humiliated me so many times."

'_Uchiha Sasuke.'_

Hours spent making a perfect sand castle flood through her eyes along with the childish smile of Sasuke and his bright pink cheeks. Naruto felt her throat burned and tears almost leaked out of her eyes because that was the one memory that always stood out to her when it came to Sasuke. Not the Valley Of The End or their fight in the hospital but that wonderful memory.

She gulped down the lump and forced herself to smile.

'_The best way to find out if you trust someone is to trust them._'

Todoroki's words echoed in her mind as Midoriya hunched his shoulders at the prolonged silence between them. Trust was hard because he might betray her just like _he_ did, but Midoriya had been there for her in the hospital. He was with Bakugou and Todoroki in her apartment, waiting for her to come back from the Yakuza.

It was probably for that reason that she made her decision.

"I can't judge you," Midoriya blinked and Naruto looked towards the television screen. "I had a friend that was probably as much of an ass as Bakugou, except he did pull through for me at times."

Midoriya blinked and raised his eyebrow. "Did he insult you every time?"

"Called me idiot when actually he is the idiot." She quirked her lips slightly and allowed her fondness to leak out into her voice as the childhood memories of before the Uchiha Massacre washed over her. _I think that was when our relationship was at its best. _She forced herself to smile when Midoriya blinked his eyes at her. "If it helps I called him bastard every single time."

Midoriya just gawked and he let out a nervous laugh while Naruto traced the faded mark on her chest. _A constant reminder of my foolishness._ Those had been the Kyuubi's words to her before she fell unconscious and Naruto wondered if the fox had been furious that he nearly died with her.

She shook her head and stared at Midoriya. _Take a chance, Naru-chan._ The words sounded almost like Mikoto as if telling her to stop hesitating, to stop being so mistrustful and just to take a leap of faith with this nervous green-haired boy. It had been her plan but was it a good idea? Could she truly be friends with him?

'_The best way to find out if you trust someone is to trust them._'

Naruto took a deep breath and forced herself to spill out the words jammed up in her throat. ""Do you want to have ramen with me and Todoroki?"

Green eyes widened. "Ramen?"

"Well if I win Midoriya, I want to celebrate with my friends and I," she gulped down and pinched herself. "I want to be your friend and well if I lose…I want to rant to someone because Bakugou is just going to rub it in my face."

Midoriya smiled and Naruto wondered if maybe that she was making the first steps of becoming a better version of herself.

* * *

"_It's the final rounds!"_ Present Mic declared and the crowds erupted with life at the reminder that this was going to be the final round of the Sports Festival. "_This girl has been a hurricane, unbeatable and the girl that I am praying will redeem her defeated classmates and yearmates that will stop this bomb in his tracks: Uzumaki Naruto!"_

_This is it. _Naruto inhaled and exhaled as blood rushed into her ears as the cheers from the crowds seemed to be muffled in her ears. The smiling faces of the crowds seemed to blur together as the wind picked up, stroking Naruto's hair and cheeks like a mother would stroke its own child. She looked up at the skies, closing her eyes as her heart clenched.

'_You are just as smart and capable as my son.'_

Naruto pushed down the memory back in her mind and stopped right in the center of the arena. Memories of a dead woman would not help her here. _She wasn't your mother._ She clenched and unclenched her hands as her eyes focused on the television.

"_He has been an unstoppable force throughout this tournament." _Present Mic paused and Naruto quirked her eyebrow as Bakugou took his own steps. "_And even though he has a face that only a mother can love…"_

There was a distinct smack that echoed throughout the stadium, which was followed by a cry from her English teacher. _"Jeez, you can't take a joke Eraserhead. He's making a name for himself, it's class A: Bakugou Katsuki!"_

The crowds roared, cheering and thundering as Bakugou stopped right in front of her. His lips were pulled into a scowl as irritation and determination flooded through his red eyes. "I'm going to beat you, Uzumaki."

Her lips almost quirked into a smile. "I would like to see you try, Bakugou."

'_Uzumaki, don't you think you and Bakugou look similar? You even look a little bit like his mum.'_

The words of their middle school classmates echoed in her ears as Bakugou grinded his teeth. No words erupted from his mouth and Naruto creased her eyebrows together, taken back by the lack of swear words coming out of him. _He is never this calm._ The chances of either of them winning would be based on how much hits that Bakugou could take from her.

"I came here to win, Uzumaki."

Naruto curled her lips into a smile. "Me too."

'_Let the finals begin!"_

Without a moment of hesitance, Bakugou lunged towards her. A ferocious expression coloured his features as explosions sizzled and crackled around his palm, reaching out towards her. His words rung like an alarm in her mind.

_Bakugou is like an animal._

"_Bakugou is already racing straight for Uzumaki! Apparently he has gotten an idea to stop Uzumaki before she could—"_

Naruto grabbed his sizzling arms, wrapping her hands around his large arms and swinging him around like a frisbee out of the arena. He swung and swirled but unlike Todoroki, who had been distracted in the last minute, the boy placed his hands back and exploded straight back to her.

Red eyes flared with irritation and Bakugou screamed. "Are you underestimating me, Uzumaki!"

Blue eyes widened as Bakugou curled his hands into a fist, swinging it back like a swing and then releasing it on her. Naruto held her hand up, blocking his punch and winced when explosives erupted from his palms. Grinding her teeth together, she pulled him in and stretched her leg back before swinging it straight at him.

_He wants to feel like I respect him as a fighter._

Taking a deep breath, Naruto channeled chakra into her stomach and closed her eyes. _Tiger. Ox. Dog. Rabbit. Snake._ She put her hands together, directed the chakra up to her mouth and breathed out a large, gust of wind that swirled and twirled straight at the smirking boy.

_I respect your dreams and in another world…I think we might be the best of friends, because I respect assholes like you._

Wind swept throughout the crowds, pushing several of the heroes hair back and even sending a couple of sunglasses out of the arena. Bakugou was swept up in the air but with a smirk playing in his lips, he placed his hands back and explosives crackled and erupted from his hand.

"_Bakugou is flying himself back into the arena! It seems not even a hurricane is enough to stop him."_

She narrowed her eyes and ducked as Bakugou's palm raced towards her head._ He won't be able to touch me._ His lips curled into a smirk and he switched palms, smashing it against her gym outfit. Heat exploded before her and Naruto's body was tossed back from the force of explosion.

"If you think you can beat me Uzumaki then you must be dreaming."

_Oh bastard, I'm going to prove you that you don't boast to me._ Naruto flipped herself back into her feet, earning gasps and shouts from the crowds. _I'm the girl that has been fighting her entire life._

Her seared gym jacket fell down to the ground, showing the whole world just the black shirt that clung to her whole body. Taking a deep breath, Naruto channeled her chakra into her legs. She curled her hands into a fist, knelt down and then lunged straight at the feral boy in front of her.

'_I don't need you to talk.'_

She curled her hand into a tightly wounded coil.

'_I'm going to win the whole damn thing.'_

This was fight was not just for her pride but a fight for her to show the whole damn world that Uzumaki Naruto was more than what they thought her to be.

"_Yes!"_ Present Mic erupted in cheers as a resigned sigh came out of Aizawa-sensei's mouth. "_Uzumaki landed a solid right hook against Bakugou's face! He is kneeling down from the impact!"_

Bakugou clutched his stomach and red eyes narrowed at her, no emotions shining through his eyes. Naruto rubbed the back of her arm, blue eyes focused on her opponent's eyes as the crowds roared and jumped out of their seats at her actions.

She knelt down till they were at eye level. "Wanna quit? Because I'm not going to hold back on my punches! When I made that vow in front of the whole of Japan, I meant it."

Bakugou coughed out blood and he raised his trembling hands. Turning his lips into a scowl, her classmate rubbed his mouth and red eyes narrowed at her. "I ain't a quitter."

In that moment, he kneed her in the stomach and yanked her over his shoulder, smashing her to the ground. Pain erupted from all around her body as her vision blurred slightly. She looked up, lips curled into a snarl and Bakugou faltered slightly as shock clouded his features. _Take whatever you can get._ She grabbed his arm and swung him out of the arena.

'_What an idiot.'_

'_Are you really going to act like a baby because Sasuke-kun did better than you.'_

'_You always give it your all in a match.'_

''_Thank you for believing in me.'_

'_You looked just so cute, Uzumaki.'_

'_You don't have to pretend that you are fine.'_

Teuchi's furious eyes. Those bastards in the Academy that mocked her and even Sakura's hurtful words echoed in her ears. Midoriya's nervous smile. Todoroki's calming presence and his thoughtful words. All of those things clashed in her mind. Resentment. Gratitude. Kindness and most of all _desire_. All of those emotions collided like a tornado in her mind.

She fished out a kunai as Bakugou approached her and time seemed to slow down as she swung the kunai at him. White smoke appeared as the kunai revealed to be a clone and Bakugou smirked. His hands sizzled with life as it smashed through the clone, causing it to explode.

A smile erupted from her lips as a second kunai was soon revealed and Bakugou gawked. "H-How?"

"I was always taking you seriously from the very beginning." The kunai exploded to reveal her smiling clone and the clone smashed her fist against his face, sending him flying straight towards the stadium wall. He crashed straight against the wall, causing a slight crack to the stadium and Naruto slumped her shoulders, letting out a smile.

"_It looks like Uzumaki did good in her oath! She won the whole thing!"_ Present Mic cried and Naruto blinked as the crowds chanted her name for the whole world to hear. Waves were being made as well as several people clapping their hands. There were erven a few people pumping their fist up in the air.

_I did it._

Her throat dried up and a smile almost played on her lips.

"_Uzumaki! Uzumaki!"_

For the first time in her life, Naruto doesn't bother to wonder if they were really cheering for her and her victory. She doesn't question it because for the first time in a long time, she felt the same kind of warmth that Mikoto and Teuchi gave her. The same warmth that Sasuke and Itachi used to give her. The warmth Konohamaru and his parents gave her.

She thinks that this warmth must be happiness.

* * *

Bakugou growled and balled his hands into a tight fist, red eyes flaring with irritation at the sight of what could only be the infirmary room in the stadium. He lost. For the first time in his life, he actually lost to someone in a physical fight. Of all people that he had to lose, it had to be to the girl that must have been holding back on him.

_If I hadn't hesitated in that one moment then I would have won._

When Uzumaki made that face, Bakugou saw his mother and despite his claims about his feelings towards his parents. He loves the Old Hag even if she was always a pain in his neck about his homework and his habits towards people. How could he think of actually hurting someone that resembled his mother slightly? He growled. It didn't even help that he still remembered Uzumaki's blood soaked clothes.

"Are you awake?" Recovery girl asked, opening the curtain and peaking through the slight opening. Her eyes shone with warmth and understanding like she knew what his problem was, but the old woman doesn't know.

_He spent his entire life trying to be perfect in everything. If not for his sake and the way people constantly praised him then it was how his grandmother and the Old Hag compared him to his missing uncle._

"There is no shame for getting second place, young man."

Bakugou grinded his teeth at the reminder and felt his palm sizzle and crackle with explosives at the reminder that he _lost._ It didn't matter he lost to a girl because girls could be just as strong as boys. No, what bothered him was the fact he actually lost. Throughout this whole tournament, he never once reached first place.

This had been the closest that he had ever been to first place since coming to Yuuei. _Am I weak? Is that why I'm not able to catch up with her? Fuck, even Deku seems to be catching up to me._ His shoulders stiffened and he let out a groan. The world had to be ending for Deku to catch up to him.

Deku was always supposed to be weak.

Whiskers wasn't supposed to be that strong and yet she mocked him by not using that Quirk of hers. Why didn't she use that Quirk against him? Why did she use it only against the monster? Did she think that he was somekind of weakling? He clenched his hands into a fist.

The door slid opened and Bakugou growled at the sight of the girl that seemed to have been mocking him throughout their whole battle. Uzumaki leaned against the wall, lips curled into a thin line as her blue eyes looked at him with an emotion similar to sympathy and guilt.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Silence hung between them as blue eyes locked on his red eyes. She doesn't offer an explanation, only looking at the television screen that seemed intent on reminding him that he _lost_ to her. Bakugou clenched and unclenched his hands into a fist as Uzumaki darted her eyes down to his hands.

Finally, Uzumaki said. "To make sure that you don't have any damage from my clone's punch."

She rubbed the back of her neck and a sheepish smile almost played on her lips. _She looks like __**him.**_ His stomach rolled as the picture of his missing uncle flashed through his eyes. The man would be around 40 by now if he was alive. He narrowed his eyes at his classmate, who shifted back and forth like she seemed to be nervous about something.

The thought almost made him want to snort.

"You think a weak little punch will be enough to cause damage to me."

Blue eyes flared with irritation. "That _weak little punch_ also made you cough out blood."

"You caught me by surprise." He folded his arms against his chest and curled his lips into a sneer. His stomach grumbled and ached like it wanted him to just give in to his pride and tell her that she punched harder than any of those assholes he fought in school. Uzumaki quirked her lips into almost a smile, blue eyes almost twinkled with mirth and Bakugou frowned.

She really looked a little bit similar to his mother.

"You are a crappy liar, Explosive Head."

The words hung in the air, almost hinting that they could be friendly when they wanted to be. Bakugou stared at the blond-haired girl and pressed his lips into a scowl as his classmate shoved her hands against her pocket. Not once did he allow his eyes to waver from her, taking in the similarities that people kept saying they had between them.

'_Our lips looks similar.'_

He curled his lips into a frown.

'_Our noses too.'_

He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head as this was the only similarities between them. Uzumaki had large, almond-shaped eyes while his eyes had always been smaller when compared to her. _But her eye colour is similar to __**him**_. The thought nudged in his head and Bakugou doesn't know what possessed him to say these words.

"Uzumaki, who the hell is your father?"

His classmate stiffened at the mention of her father, lips curled into a fake smile and blue eyes seemed to almost water. She took a deep breath, clicked her heels and turned away from him. _I'm not like Deku or even half-and-half bastard, I don't care how she feels._ He shifted in his seat as Uzumaki rubbed her eyes.

She turned to him and forced a smile. "I don't know who the hell is my father. All I know is that he died on my birthday alongside my mother."

Bakugou stiffened and silence blanket over them as his mind shut down at the piece of information that Uzumaki presented him. There was a smile on her lips even though her hands seemed to balled into fist and her jaws seemed to be clenched so tightly together. All Bakugou could do was just stare at her as words jammed in his throat.

He swallowed down the words. "When is your birthday?"

His classmate locked her eyes on him and then she looked down to her hands. Her long blond-hair masked her whole face from him, not allowing him to see what emotions were going through her. She inhaled and exhaled, chest heaving rapidly as if she was dealing with something terrible and all Bakugou could do was just stare at her.

Finally, Uzumaki swallowed down a lump in her throat and choked out. "October 10th."

'_She makes a clone on four dates: 29__th__ of July, 15__th__ of August, 11__th__ of November and 10__th__ of October.'_

Now Bakugou understood the significance of one of the dates. If Uzumaki lost her family on her birthday then he doesn't want to imagine what happened on the other dates. _If Uzumaki skipped school on anniversary of deaths then_ Bakugou doesn't know what to think. He swallowed down a lump, shifted side to side and locked his eyes on her.

He wasn't comforting and Bakugou doubt he would ever be comforting, but there was one thing he was good at.

"I'm going to beat you one day, Uzumaki and no sob story is going to change my mind."

Uzumaki quirked her lips into a smile. "I would like to see you try, Bakugou."

* * *

**A/N:** Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter, especially of the interactions between the characters.


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"Tsunade, did you know about Naruto?"

Tsunade took a sip of her sake and kept her eyes fixated on the television screen as the Konoha Elders flung open the doors of her office. The three of them narrowed their eyes at her, their arms folded against their chest and they looked at the television screen that Tsunade decided to put inside her office for just this event.

"_You lived up to your oath, Uzumaki and that is not an easy achievement."_ Several pair of eyes turned to the television screen where a muscular man stood up to hand the final medal to Naruto. A smile decorates his face and in her youth, Tsunade admired that man. But now Tsunade had her eyes fixated on the girl that helped her conquer her fear of blood.

Naruto had a smile on her face and her blue eyes seemed to be shining like the bright blue skies in Konoha. It was a whole different sight from what Tsunade was forced to see three years ago. _Jiraiya might have decided to leave her alone in Japan but at least the man chose a country that seemed to heal her better than any medical jutsu I know._ She darted her eyes to the councilmembers.

"Well Tsunade? Did you know?" Koharu demanded.

Shizune flickered her eyes to her and Tsunade just swirled her glass of sake. The councilmembers grinded their teeth and their eyes flashed with irritation at her lack of answer. Letting out a sigh, the woman put down her glass of sake and nodded. "Jiraiya informed me everything."

No words was spoken as the councilmembers stared at her. They pressed their lips into a thin line, almost looking as if they sucked a bad lemon, and took several deep breaths. From right beside her, Shizune knitted her eyebrows but the blond-haired woman just gulped down her glass of sake. She kept the glass close to her mouth, making sure not to allow them to see the smile that played on her lips.

"And why weren't we inform of this development?" Danzo demanded. "As the elders of this village and the councilmembers, we deserve the right to know the whereabouts of our own Jinchuuriki."

Tsunade schooled her expression and put down her glass. "If we placed spies in every single village in the Elemental Countries then it is reasonable to believe that they have done the same. How could I be certain that we would never be overheard by them?"

The three councilmembers glanced at each other and they grimaced at her words. Tsunade picked up the sake bottle, swirling it around and grimaced at the lack of sound from the sake bottle. It seemed like she might need her fourth sake bottle soon, which wasn't a big deal. She will probably have Sakura buy the more expensive kind for her so that Tsunade could celebrate Naruto's achievement.

_Jirariya did a good job even though he only started to seriously train her in the last two weeks._

"And how did Naruto find out about Japan?" Koharu asked.

Tsunade raised a single eyebrow at her. "Didn't you wish for Naruto to be protected from the Akatsuki? Jiraiya did a lot of research on where is the best place to keep her protected as the three of you wished. In his research, Jiraiya thought of Japan."

_I understand why he kept me in the dark but I have the right to know where he takes Naruto. He can't keep me in the dark until a week before this happens._ She grabbed the bottle of sake and gulped down every single drop of her drink. Her eyes focused on the councilmembers, who frowned at her and tutted at her habit.

"And how could Jiraiya be certain that Japan is real?" Danzo questioned. His lone eye revealed no emotion and his voice was calm, almost too calm if someone asked her. _He would have been the one to protest more and he was the one that insisted that Naruto stayed in the village._ Tsunade put down the bottle of sake and pressed her lips into a thin line.

"From his spy network." Danzo and the two elders glanced at each other, their lips pressed into an even thinner line at her response. They narrowed their eyes at her while Shizune raised a single eyebrow at her, not looking at all like she believed her words.

Silence blanket over them as the councilmembers kept looking at each other. Tsunade shifted in her seat, hands clasped together and eyebrows knitted together as the three councilmembers huddled together. The Hokage glanced at Shizune, who now shook her head at her. The woman sighed. Once this was all done, she would explain everything to her.

"Did Jiraiya tell you if there is a chance that Japan would be of a concern to us?" The woman raised her eyebrow at Danzo while the councilmembers perked up at the question. Danzo straightened his back and darted his eyes throughout the office before landing his eyes on her. "With so many strong Kekkei Genkai, the country is a concern to us."

Tsunade grinded her teeth together. "They don't know that we exist just as most of us don't know that they exist."

"And how can you be certain?" Danzo asked. He leaned his right body to his cane and took several breaths while Homura and Koharu bobbed their heads. "That young man who screamed about respect looks like a member of your grandmother's clan; our allies. How can we be certain that they didn't tell them?"

Tsunade's eyebrows twitched and the woman clenched her hands into a fist. Shizune leaned forward but the blond-haired woman slammed her hands against the table, cracking and splitting into half. Danzo remained motionless in his spot while Koharu and Homura took a few steps back, lips pressed into a frown at her behaviour.

"If my grandmother's clan informed Japan about us then we would have been attacked by now," Tsunade grinded her teeth together. "It is quite clear that they haven't informed them. We can't even be certain that the man is a member of the Uzumaki Clan."

Koharu narrowed her eyes at her. "Tsunade, you were there when Kushina came to this village with her cousin. The boy looks like Uzumaki Kenji and only a fool will be blind about his resemblance. The Uzumaki clan was thought to be destroyed 25 years ago. The boy looks like he is 22 and his resemblance is nearly the same as Uzumaki Kenji's appearance in the Bingo Book."

The young woman pressed her lips into a thin line. Words were stuck in her throat as memory flooded into her mind. A pair of hazel eyes flashing with concern as another pair of violet eyes looked at Tsunade's grandmother with betrayal. Taking a deep breath, Tsunade grinded her teeth together and kept quiet. There was just no way she could deny his words.

"If Kenji is as alive as you think he is then why haven't they attack the village if that is your concern?" Tsunade growled. The councilmembers looked at each other with their lips pressed into a thin line. "As far as I am concerned, if the Uzumaki clan still exist then they wouldn't tell that country about us. My word is final."

Danzo narrowed his eyes at her and Tsunade clenched her jaws. It felt like she was a genin again with the way that bastard kept looking at her like she was a child that still needed to learn. Why did Hiruzen-sensei keep him around was still an absolute mystery to her. _Bastard is more likely to betray my orders then listen to it._

"Then why don't we send our shinobi to investigate the country," Danzo inhaled and exhaled. "Why don't we make certain that country is truly ignorant as you claimed? An investigation should be conducted on the country and the level of threat it can pose to us. Do not let your fond memories of your grandmother and her clan cloud your judgement. Remember Tsunade: the village must always come first."

With those words, the councilmembers walked out of the room and left her alone with Shizune. The blond-haired woman took a deep breath, brown eyes flickering to the shadows before letting out a sigh. She darted her eyes to Shizune, who opened her mouth but only to close it when the woman shook her head.

"Shizune, can you please leave me alone?"

Shizune nibbled her bottom lip, black eyes wavering at her request before finally nodding her head. Tsunade swirled the bottle of sake, closing her eyes as her assistant walked out of the office. Shizune wavered for just a moment before straightening her black and closing the door as quietly as she could.

As soon as the door was closed, a monkey-masked man popped out of the shadows and Tsunade let out a sigh.

"You heard him, didn't you Monkey?"

Monkey exhaled, turned his head to the closed door and then looked at her. "Did you really know where Naru-chan go? Or were you lying to them about knowing about her whereabouts? Jiraiya refused to let me go and check up on her during her imposed exile."

Tsunade inhaled and exhaled as the ANBU guard took a seat on the chair. The man came long way from being a little brat that used to annoy his father for attention and it was times like these where she could hear her teacher echoing out of him. Too bad the council had chosen either her or Jiraiya for this crap job.

"He only informed me two weeks ago about this," Tsunade licked her lips and let out a sigh. "God, I'm happy that the kid won and everything, since it shows that her claims weren't always empty boasts. But Jiraiya should have made certain that the girl didn't enter such well-known place. If we saw her then Iwa saw her and everyone knows how much Iwa hates Minato."

Monkey leaned his body back and looked up at the ceiling. "Naru-chan isn't just a concern, Hokage-sama. That Explosive Boy is also another concern for us…do you realize who he resembles? He looks a little bit similar to the Fourth."

"I saw the resemblance," Tsunade pressed her lips into a thin line. "Not many people know this but the Fourth Hokage's birth certificate was forged as a request by his father. Minato never talked about his birth place and if it weren't for his resemblance to his father, people would question about where he was born. Souta was always so careful in dodging about where his newfound son came from."

Monkey let out a sigh. "The only person who would be able to answer the question was murdered when Naruto was two. It was no coincidence that after the Third told Danzo that Uzumaki Naruto was to live a normal life with her grandmother that she just died."

"If he wanted to take Naruto under his wing then he went about it the wrong way," Tsunade said wearily.

The ANBU commander shook his head. "He was trying everything in his power to get the hat that you were given by the other two elders. In the first six months of Naruto's life, things were easy between her and her grandmother but someone leaked out that Naruto was the jinchuuriki. They conveniently left out the fact that she was the Fourth's daughter, which would have made her life easier in the village."

"The villagers would not have believed it," Tsunade said dryly. "Despite her strong resemblance to Minato, the villagers would rather let their anger and hater for the beast cloud what is right in front of their eyes."

Monkey nodded and let out a sigh before flickering his eyes to the doors and then to the trees outside of the office. He shook his head and stood up, only to pause when Tsunade held her hand up to him. He tilted his head as the brown-eyed woman took a deep breath.

"You will have a long mission ahead of you, Monkey." Tsunade grimaced. "You will need to investigate what is happening and keep an eye on Naruto. I trust Jiraiya to protect her but we cannot afford for anything to happen to her. You might not be able to see your son for a maximum of a year."

Monkey sighed and hunched his shoulders. "My brother will keep an eye on him while I'm out for this mission. It will give him and Kurenai some practice of raising kids if they ever decide to have kids."

* * *

The sizzling scent of beef being grilled tickled Eisuke's nostrils and the red-haired man wiped the drool off of his face, ignoring the amused look from his fellow hero. Chatter flooded the Korean restaurant, booming and bouncing through the walls as the occasional customer took out their phone to take a picture of him and Hawks.

Eisuke flashed a smile when one of the girls took a photo of him and his smile broadens when the girl flushed a light shade of pink. Hawks chuckled and took a piece of chicken from the grill, dropping it straight down to his bowl.

"Your girlfriend is going to kill you if she sees that you are flirting with them," Hawks pulled his lips into a smile. He flickered his eyes to the smiling crowds, waving his hands at them and he took a sip of his own drink.

Eisuke tore his eyes away from the giggling girls. "My girlfriend works in this business and knows very well that we need to keep up appearances. I might flirt, smile and even joke with them but I won't ever cheat on her."

"Oh, serious about this one are you?" Hawks leaned forward and the red-haired hero rubbed the back of his neck as his cheeks flushed a bright shade of red. "She must be really something for you to suddenly decide to settle down."

Silence hung between them as Eisuke flickered his eyes to the crowds that were now either too busy grilling their food, chatting with each other or looking at their menus with interest. The winged-hero raised his eyebrow at him and the red-haired man slumped his shoulders, before nodding his head at the hero.

Hawks smiled. "So if you are serious about her then why didn't you bring her with you to the Sports Festival? The two of you aren't having trouble in paradise, are you?"

"I just told you that I'm serious about her, didn't I?" Eisuke grumbled. Hawks just tilted his head at him, one eyebrow raised at him and the young man shook his head. "We are perfectly happy but I can't run an agency and watch the tournament at the same time."

His fellow hero raised a single eyebrow at him. "Can't you make clones? They could run the agency and you would have a perfect date with your pretty girlfriend."

Eisuke sighed and run his hand through his hair. His fellow hero tilted his head and Eisuke's green eyes darted everywhere but at the curious eyes of his comrade. Taking a deep breath, the hero pushed his meat back and forth as he nibbled his bottom lip. Finally, the hero let out a sigh and focused his eyes at the winged-hero.

"If I were to make clones then I will get a headache," Eisuke informed him. "The one time I overdid it with the clones and my Dad made me pop all of them to make sure I learn the consequence of my actions. It felt like I had a hangover that lasted for three days."

The red-haired hero quirked his lips into a smile and swirled his beer around while Hawks took a sip of his own soda. He looked at the smiling parents with their kids and green eyes twinkled with mirth as the irritated voice of his father echoed in his ear along with another set of memories.

"My father called me a punk for trying to take the easy way out for studying for all those exams," Eisuke continued and Hawks blinked at this piece of information. "Bastard punish me real good for acting like a little shit."

Hawks let out a laugh and his brown eyes shone with just a little bit of amusement. His lips curled into a smile but it was not like the usual smiles that his fellow hero gave to his fans. No, it was almost like the smiles that Eisuke see his father has whenever he saw children playing without a care in the world.

It was a wonder why Hawks would envy him.

"What is wrong with taking the easy way out, Uzushiokage?" Hawks let out a sigh. "Heroes should have more free time to themselves so that they could enjoy life."

Eisuke just smiled and took a sip of his beer, green eyes fixated at the smiling faces of the civilians that walked in those streets with laughter and their shoulders sat straight. He inhaled as a pair of strict eyes flashed before his eyes along with harsh words which echoed in his ear. Six years passed since that stunt and his body still shivered at his father's words.

"The easy way out doesn't always mean the smartest choice," Eisuke kept his face straight and lowered his voice, which earned a raised eyebrow from his hero. The winged-man covered his mouth, trying to muffle his laughs and the other customers glanced at them. They smiled at them, eyes filled with stars and the two heroes beamed at them.

"Who the hell were you trying to sound like?" Hawks demanded.

At that moment, a ringtone echoed between them and the winged-hero raised an eyebrow at him. Eisuke smiled, pulled out his phone and gulped at the name beeping out of his phone. _Old man. _His hands trembled and he cleared his throat. The hero took a deep breath, trying to stop the trembles that seemed to running throughout his body.

"Yo, Pops." He closed his eyes and twisted his fingers together as Hawks tilted his head to the side, body leaning forward and a smile playing on his lips.

"_You went to the Yuuei Sports Festival, didn't you?"_ Eisuke almost let out a sigh of relief. _Maybe he didn't see what I did._ He bobbed his head and blinked when his comrade raised an eyebrow at his actions.

The red-haired hero took a deep breath. "Yeah, I decided to go because I just wanted to know which one of those kids was capable of—"

"_Eisuke, I'm not asking why you decided to watch it live and frankly I don't give a shit why you went." _Eisuke sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head at his father's behavior. It was just too much for him to hope that his father had an interest to know why he went but his old man cared more about his business and that dojo he ran.

Uzushiokage took a sip of his beer. "Then why are you asking me if—"

"_I am asking if you watched Uzumaki Naruto,"_ Eisuke blinked and swirled his beer at the mention of the girl that stood out so much in the Sports Festival. He nodded his head, only to blink at the realization that his father was not right beside him but was instead a voice in the phone. The red-haired hero sweated even more.

"I did," Eisuke took a sip of his beer. "She was quite amazing. She did things that I didn't think a girl like her would do."

His father let out a snort. "_Do you honestly believe that girl is like you or the other second-generation of Uzumaki that were born __**here**__. She wasn't raised in this part of the world."_

The hero let out a sigh and took a sip of his own drinks, lips pressed into a thin line. He ran his fingers through his hair, ignoring the curious looks being thrown at him by his comrade. Eisuke looked up at the ceiling, rubbing the back of his neck and then looking at the smiling customers that seemed to be laughing without a care in the world.

"I thought so." Eisuke finally answered.

Hawks raised his eyebrow and the red-haired hero took a deep breath. He held his hand up to the hero, excusing himself from the meal and walking out of the door. _I have a feeling that this might be a long conversation._ He forced himself to smile when the civilians looked at him with wide eyes.

"I figured it out when I saw the author of Icha-Icha too," Eisuke took a deep breath. "Didn't you say you know him? Did you know that he was going to be here?"

"_I told you that I know __**of**__ him,"_ His father sighed. "_And are you certain Eisuke that you saw Jiraiya? That you saw the Toad Sannin?"_

Eisuke pressed his lips into a thin line. "Pops, I think I will recognize the author of our favorite book series."

His father let out a chuckled and a smile played on Eisuke's face. Green eyes flickered towards the smiling schoolgirls, who now had their arms linked together and the red-haired hero looked up at the evening skies. He rubbed the back of his neck, easing the aches in his neck.

"Will it help if I tell you that he seemed to be talking to her?"

There was no answer between them and Eisuke held his breath. Time seemed to slow down as he waited for his father to say something. His palms began to sweat and his lips almost wobbled at the lack of answer. He hunched his shoulders and shifted back and forth.

"_Eisuke, I want you to get close to the girl."_ Eisuke blinked and he could hear his father turning his chair around, which told the man that his father must be in his office and not in his training room. "_And I want you to take a piece of hair from her so we can run a DNA test. If my suspicions are correct about her then you will need to keep an eye on her."_

Eisuke raised his eyebrow. "My sidekicks will think that I took her in because of her last name."

"_Stop your complaining, Eisuke!"_ He winced and his father took several deep breaths. "_If your sidekicks know you at all then they would know that isn't the reason you decide to intern her. You saw her eyes, didn't you Eisuke?"_

Eisuke nibbled his bottom lip and took a deep breath. "She is like you, isn't she?"

There was no answer from his father but the young man just sighed. _He doesn't need to answer me, it is obvious._ Eisuke clenched and unclenched his hands, green eyes flickering to the people that seemed to be walking around without a care in the world. Some of these people might be having happy lives while others might be going back home to a family that hurt them.

His heart ached at those families while a pair of turquoise eyes flashed before him.

"_She is,"_ his father confirmed. "_If Jiraiya is here then it confirms that she is a kunoichi from Konoha. If he is looking after her then she is important to that village."_

Eisuke sighed and his father let out a sigh. The red-haired man tensed up when he heard a growl coming from the phone. _What did I do this time?_ Could he just close the phone? No, it would just be avoiding the inevitable because his father will just call him until he had no choice but to answer the phone.

"_Your sister just sent me a message telling me about the great speech you made during the Sports Festival."_ Eisuke swore under his breath. "_Don't you cuss young man! There is a reason why I never allowed you to enter Yuuei High! You just showed the whole world that the Uzumaki clan is still alive! What the hell were you thinking?"_

"C'mon I forgot Old Man!"

His father scribbled something down. "_Eisuke, I don't know __if the Elemental Countries knows who that girl is but there is no doubt that they will know who __**you**__ are."_

What the hell was his father talking about?

"I never lived there! I was born _here!"_

"_Eisuke, you are __**my**__ son." _ His father took several deep breaths and the red-haired hero gulped down a lump. "_You look like me and that is enough for anyone to connect the dots. That is enough for them to know that the Uzumaki clan is still alive and thriving. Things won't look good from here on out so you will need to keep an eye out for things."_

Dread crept up in his stomach and Eisuke gulped down a lump. "What do you mean?"

"_I will tell you when you come back home,"_ his father let out a sigh. "_There are things that you and the other children need to know when it comes to the Elemental Countries."_

There was no answer and Eisuke wondered what the hell was going to happen soon.

* * *

"_Uzumaki-chan! Congratulations for winning!"_

Naruto stiffened her back when a pair of slim arms wrapped around her. All around her were her fellow customers, who seemed content with either staring at her, Todoroki and Midoriya or coming up to them to congratulate them for their matches. It felt weird for so many people to admire her but Naruto could only smile at the attention.

She twisted her head around and blinked at the sight of smiling Nejire. Right behind her senior was Amejiki and Togata. The two other teens smiled at her and flickered their eyes to the curious eyes of Todoroki and Midoriya, who blinked at the sight of the three of them standing here.

"You guys were amazing," Togata declared, flashing them a smile. "But Midoriya, you reminded me of All Might when you fought Todoroki."

Her green-haired friend sweated and rubbed the back of his neck as a nervous laugh bubbled out of his mouth. Todoroki darted his eyes to Naruto. She shrugged, uncertain how to answer his question because she doesn't know anything about this. Her friend took a deep breath and Naruto forced herself to smile.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked and she flashed a smile to Midoriya. Her friend took a deep breath, giving her a small grateful smile. Her stomach twisted and turned and the girl clenched and unclenched her hands.

Amejiki rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath. "Hadou and Mirio made a bet on who would win the tournament and since Mirio won the Third-Year tournament, he chose to come here."

He avoided her blue eyes and Naruto knitted her eyebrows, rubbing the back of her neck. She flickered her eyes to Nejire and Togata, who looked at the dark-haired boy with smiles playing on their lips. Her blond-haired senior swung his arm over Amejiki's shoulder while Nejire just giggled.

"And aren't you glad that we came here, Tamaki?" Naruto knitted her eyebrows and the dark-haired senior flushed a bright shade of red. He shook his head and sighed at his smiling friend, bowing his head down till Naruto could not see his head. Nejire smiled even wider and nudged the boy with her elbow, earning a smile from the periwrinkled-haired girl.

Nejire tilted her head. "So what are you guys doing here?"

"Uzumaki invited us here," Todoroki replied, putting down his chopsticks. He darted his eyes at her, knitting his eyebrows together and Naruto smiled at him. His lips twitched, almost looking like a smile while Midoriya and Nejire flickered their eyes between them.

Nejire tilted her head. "Really, Uzumaki-chan?"

Naruto nodded and swirled her ramen. Her lips wobbled down, rubbing the back of her neck as Nejire and her seniors blinked at her. Taking a deep breath, the girl looked away from her miso bowl and she looked at the three older teens.

_They have always been there for me too, especially Hadou._ Naruto pushed her bottom lip forward and knitted her eyebrows. Hadou's concerned eyes. Togata's easy smile and Amejiki's flushed red cheeks flashed right before her. Her heart ached and her stomach turned like there was no tomorrow. Those three visited her in the hospital and Hadou even helped her in her first day of high school.

'_The best way to find out if you trust someone is to trust them.'_

She took a deep breath and jumped off of her seat, bowing down to them. Several eyes grew large and her body trembled. Her hair covered her eyes, hiding it from everyone as her heart jumped up to her throat. She gulped it down and reminded herself that she was a strong woman.

"I owe the three of you an apology," Naruto exhaled and kept her eyes focused on the floor. "I'm sorry for acting like a complete and utter bitch to all of you."

Silence blanket over them and the blond-haired girl gulped down a lump. Almost everyone seemed to be looking at her with wide eyes but only one person was not surprised at Naruto's apology. Todoroki just took a sip of his drink, mismatch eyes focused on Naruto.

Amejiki frowned and knelt down till he was at the same eye level with Naruto. His dark eyes fixated on her and the blond-haired girl saw another pair of eyes flashing before her. Dark eyes that used to twinkle with joy at the sight of her and the promise of being best friends forever echoed in her ears. _He isn't Sasuke and it is not fair for me to keep unconscious comparing them._

"Why are you sorry?" Amejiki placed his hands on her shoulder.

The concern in his eyes made her throat dry up as Sasuke's dark eyes flashed before her again. It was not long before another pair of green eyes appeared right in front of her. Pale milky eyes too appeared and Naruto balled her hands into a fist. They collided against her mind and Naruto knew that she had been especially cruel to this guy.

She felt her cheeks burning up when the boy knitted his eyebrows at her.

"I kept pushing you guys away," Naruto swallowed down the lump and shoved the memories of her childhood to one side. "And I'm sorry for my actions and my behaviour in general. I guess I have been the most unfair to Nejire and Amejiki."

Nejire's eyes widened at the use of her first name and Naruto flashed them a smile. The older girl's eyes softened while Amejiki just stared at her with flushed cheeks. Togata flickered his eyes between the three of them while Midoriya flickered his eyes between Naruto, Todoroki and Amejiki.

Togata grinned.

"If you want to be forgiven Uzumaki then you need to take responsibility." Naruto blinked and swirled her head at her fellow blonde. Amejiki paled, shaking his head as if he knew exactly what his best friend was planning to do, while Nejire let out a giggle.

"R-Responsibility?" Naruto squeaked.

"You and your friends join us in my celebratory meal!" Togata pulled Amejiki into a standing position and slapped his friend hard on the shoulder. "Tamaki offered to pay for our meals so you don't need to worry about paying for us."

Amejiki blinked. "Since when did I—"

Nejire nudged the boy and pointed to Naruto, who blinked and smiled widely at hearing the offer of someone else paying for her meal. Amejiki flushed a light shade of red while Togata grinned before taking a seat right beside Midoriya.

"I guess I am paying for the meal." Amejiki said, shaking his head.

_Today is probably one of the best days of my life._

Naruto's newfound joy would soon fade in the next couple of weeks as it would only be a couple of weeks later when Naruto came to regret what happened next. If only she took into account of the events that would soon transpired because she never imagined what happened next.

She never meant for any of it to happen.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter. The next installation of the series may come in the next couple of weeks and I hope that all of you enjoyed reading the first book and the interactions between the characters.**

* * *

**Additional Note: **Since I cannot post notes as chapters due to the site's rules and regulation, so I would like to say that the new book: Guardian is out and picks off a day after the events of the chapter.


	47. Author Note

Hello Everyone,

This is not a new chapter but an announcement for all those who did not know or have been alerted but I am pleased to announce the Fourth Book: Reconstruction. I would also like to inform anyone who did not know or had not been alerted that there are two other books called Guardian and Divulgence. Both books are completed. The first chapter for Reconstruction is out and it will pick up on where I have left off. For everyone who has read the books, I want to thank you again for reading the book.

STLHero.


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